The contribution of magnetic susceptibility effects to transmembrane chemical shift differences in the ³¹P NMR spectra of oxygenated erythrocyte suspensions

Triethyl phosphate, dimethyl methylphosphonate, and the hypophosphite ion all contain the phosphoryl functional group. When added to an oxygenated erythrocyte suspension, the former compound gives rise to a single ³¹P NMR resonance, whereas the latter compounds give rise to separate intra- and extracellular ³¹P NMR resonances. On the basis of experiments with intact oxygenated cell suspensions (in which the hematocrit was varied) and with oxygenated cell lysates (in which the lysate concentration was varied), it was concluded that the chemical shifts of the intra- and extracellular populations of triethyl phosphate differ as a consequence of the diamagnetic susceptibility of intracellular oxyhemoglobin but that this difference is averaged by the rapid exchange of the compound across the cell membrane. The difference in the magnetic susceptibility of the intra- and extracellular compartments contributes to the observed separation of the intra- and extracellular resonances of dimethyl methylphosphonate and hypophosphite. The magnitude of this contribution is, however, substantially less than that calculated using a simple two-compartment model and varies with the hematocrit of the suspension. Furthermore, it is insufficient to fully account for the transmembrane chemical shift differences observed for dimethyl methylphosphonate and hypophosphite. An additional effect is operating to move the intracellular resonances of these compounds to a lower chemical shift. The effect is mediated by an intracellular component, and the magnitude of the resultant chemical shift variations depends upon the chemical structure of the phosphoryl compound involved.