ABSTRACT
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging and spectroscopy are powerful noninvasive medical examination procedures that are gaining rapid clinical acceptance. The imaging procedure entails the concurrent exposure of subjects to a high static magnetic field, an Rf electromagnetic field and time-varying pulsed magnetic gradient fields. Wild-type Chinese hamster ovary cells contain hypoxantine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase enzymatic activity. This enzyme is part of the purine salvage pathway, which permits reuse of purines or purine derivatives in nucleotide formation, normally converting guanine or hypoxantine to guanylic or inosinic acid, respectively. Several biological endpoints were studied. In case of oncogenic transformation, no significant difference could be demonstrated between controls and either gamma-irradiated or NMR-exposed cells. In fact, both treated groups showed a slightly lower transformation incidence than controls, although not statistically significant. The taste-aversion test provides an indication of the toxic properties of substances that produce gastrointestinal distress or malaise.
