title: Gender Differences in Musculoskeletal Lipid Metabolism as Assessed by Localized Two-Dimensional Correlation Spectroscopy.
abstract: Gender differences in lipid metabolism are poorly understood and difficult to study using conventional approaches. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) permits non-invasive investigation of lipid metabolism. We employed novel two-dimensional MRS techniques to quantify intramyocellular (IMCL) and extramyocellular (EMCL) lipid compartments and their degree of unsaturation in normal weight adult male and female subjects. Using muscle creatine (Cr) for normalization, a statistically significant (p < 0.05) increase in IMCL/Cr (7.8 ± 1.6) and EMCL/Cr (22.5 ± 3.6) for female subjects was observed (n=8), as compared to IMCL/Cr (5.9 ± 1.7) and EMCL/Cr (18.4 ± 2.64) for male subjects. The degree of unsaturation within IMCL and EMCL was lower in female subjects, 1.3 ± 0.075 and 1.04 ± 0.06, respectively, as compared to that observed in males (n=8), 1.5 ± 0.08 and 1.12 ± 0.03, respectively (p < 0.05 male vs female for both comparisons). We conclude that certain salient gender differences in lipid metabolism can be assessed noninvasively by advanced MRS approaches.
authors.affiliation: Center for Advanced Imaging and Department of Radiology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: S Sendhil
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Velan
authors.affiliation: Center for Advanced Imaging and Department of Radiology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Said
authors.affiliation: Center for Advanced Imaging and Department of Radiology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Kartik
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Narasimhan
authors.affiliation: Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Singapore.
authors.forename: Cyrus
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Papan
authors.affiliation: Center for Advanced Imaging and Department of Radiology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bahu
authors.affiliation: Center for Advanced Imaging and Department of Radiology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: John Austin
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Vargo
authors.affiliation: Center for Advanced Imaging and Department of Radiology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Raymond R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Raylman
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: M Albert
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Departments of Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Vazhaikkurichi M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Rajendran
authors.affiliation: Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy Section, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Richard G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Physiology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Alway
keywords: Extramyocellular lipids; Intramyocellular lipids; Lipid unsaturation; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Skeletal Muscle