Distinction between normal and leukemic bone marrow by water protons nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation times

Pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance studies have been carried out on bone marrow of normal human subjects and patients with leukemia: chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). It was observed that the proton spin-lattice relaxation time (T₁) value was discriminatory in the normal and leukemic cases with a statistical significance of (p < 0.01). Ouabain treatment of cells did not show any perceptible change of T₁ value when compared with the nontreated cells, indicating that the concomitant cation effluxes do not affect spin-lattice relaxation time. The water contents of normal, leukemic, and ouabain treated cells were in the range 60%–80%. Higher Fe levels were encountered in the normal than the leukemic samples, while levels of Zn, Cu, Mn, Co, and Ni were elevated in the leukemic samples compared with the normals. Despite the T₁ differences observed, the multiparameter studies do not uniquely pinpoint factors responsible for the elevation of T₁ in the malignant state.