(13)C hyperpolarization of a barbituric acid derivative via parahydrogen induced polarization.

Significant (13)C NMR signal enhancement by a factor of 5000 of a barbituric acid derivative (5-methyl-5-propenyl-barbituric acid) via parahydrogen induced polarization is presented. This hyperpolarization is achieved by hydrogenating 5-methyl-5-propargyl-barbituric acid with 98% enriched para-H(2) under elevated temperature and pressure and transferring the initially created (1)H hyperpolarization with an INEPT-derived pulse sequence to (13)C. The polarization can be selectively transferred to different carbons in the barbituric acid derivative by applying different pulse delays in the INEPT pulse sequence. These results demonstrate the potential of using hyperpolarized barbituric acid derivatives as "active" contrast agents in MRI and visualizing their pharmacokinetics in vivo.