Small animal imaging with hyperpolarized 129Xe magnetic resonance.

High-sensitivity nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) of gaseous atoms realized by using a hyperpolarization technique is an attractive research tool used in a wide range of areas, such as physics, chemistry, material science and biomedical imaging. One of the most promising applications of this technology is the use as a noninvasive diagnostic tool for pulmonary diseases, where hyperpolarized (HP) noble gases, (3)He and (129)Xe, play a role as gaseous (i.e. inhalable) contrast agents of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). During the last two decades, lung MRI with HP gases has become widely applicable from mouse to human. In this review we present a brief overview of recent progress made by our group in the development of HP (129)Xe MR measurements, while focusing on the methodology for probing pulmonary dysfunctions in mice.