A method of detecting the interaction between a metabolite and an NMR contrast agent comprising paramagnetic metal ions, present together in a biological fluid. The method comprises subjecting a sample of the fluid to NMR specrtoscopy and comparing the results to those obtained for a sample of the biological fluid from which the contrast agent is substantially absent.;The NMR contrast agents, when added to the biological material under investigation, cause specific changes in the chemical shift or relaxation times of specific resonances in the spectra. They can thus be of assistance in the assignment of particular peaks and in the general interpretation of the spectra.;The method can be used with a variety of biological or body fluid, such as urine and plasma serum, and can either be performed in vivo or on extracted samples of these fluids.
展开▼
