Slow Magic-Angle Coil Spinning: A High-Sensitivity and High-Resolution NMR Strategy for Microscopic Biological Specimens

High-resolution magic-angle spinning has become a valuable tool to study biologic samples; however, there are only a few high-resolution magic-angle spinning methodologies that have been explored specifically to deal with small semisolid biomaterials such as tissues. Here, we report a novel high-resolution H-1 NMR spectroscopic approach using magic-angle coil spinning. We demonstrate its potential for intact tissues by combining a resonant microcoil with a large-volume commercial magic-angle spinning rotor, where the microcoil offers incredible sensitivity and the large-volume magic-angle spinning rotor provides stable slow magic-angle spinning. This approach provides high-resolution spectra with high sensitivity and the preservation of living biologic specimens for an accurate chemical analysis. Magn Reson Med 63:269-274, 2010. (C) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.