Molecular characterization of human gastric mucosa by HR-MAS magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

The present study was aimed at identifying the molecular profile characteristic of the healthy human gastric mucosa. Ex vivo HR-MAS magnetic resonance spectroscopy performed at 9.4 Tesla (400.13 MHz for (1)H) on gastric specimens collected during endoscopy, permits the identification of more than forty species giving a detailed picture of the biochemical pattern of the gastric tissues. These preliminary data will be used for a comparison with gastric preneoplastic and neoplastic situations. Moreover, the full knowledge of the biochemical pattern of the healthy gastric tissues is the necessary presupposition for the application of magnetic resonance spectroscopy directly in vivo.