| Sumari: | <p><strong>Purpose:</strong> Phosphorus saturation-transfer experiments can quantify metabolic fluxes non-invasively. Typically, the forward flux through the creatine-kinase reaction is investigated by observing the decrease in phosphocreatine (PCr) after saturation of γ-ATP. The quantification of total ATP utilisation is currently under-explored, as it requires simultaneous saturation of inorganic phosphate (Pi) and PCr. This is challenging, as currently available saturation pulses reduce the already-low γ-ATP signal present. </p>
<p><strong>Methods:</strong> Using a hybrid optimal-control and Shinnar-Le-Roux method, a quasi-adiabatic RF pulse was designed for the dual-saturation of PCr and Pi to enable determination of total ATP utilisation. The pulses were evaluated in Bloch equation simulations, compared with a conventional hard-cosine DANTE saturation sequence, before being applied to perfused rat hearts at 11.7 Tesla.
<p><strong>Results:</strong> The quasi-adiabatic pulse was insensitive to a > 2.5-fold variation in B1, producing equivalent saturation with a 53% reduction in delivered pulse power and a 33-fold reduction in spillover at the minimum effective B1. This enabled the complete quantification of the synthesis and degradation fluxes for ATP in 30-45 minutes in the perfused rat heart. While the net synthesis flux (4.24±0.8 mM/s, SEM) was not significantly different from degradation flux (6.88 ± 2 mM/s, p = 0.06) and both measures are consistent with prior work, nonlinear error analysis highlights uncertainties in the Pi-to-ATP measurement that may explain a trend suggesting a possible imbalance. </p>
<p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> This work demonstrates a novel quasi-adiabatic dual-saturation RF pulse with significantly improved performance that can be used to measure ATP turnover in the heart in vivo.</p>
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