Detection of D-amino acid oxidase using hyperpolarized molecular probes

D-amino acid oxidase (DAO) is an enzyme that catalyzes the degradation of D-amino acids in the body. Here, we explored the possibility of detecting D-amino acid oxidase activity by monitoring its metabolism in the rat kidney after a bolus injection of hyperpolarized D-[1-13C]alanine. Our data show that D-alanine is readily converted to lactate only when the DAO enzyme is not inhibited, indicating that the observed metabolism is that of DAO.