PET and [(11)C]CP-126,998, an N-benzylpiperidinebenzisoxazole, were used to image brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE) distribution in healthy controls before and after administration of 5 mg donepezil p.o., a reversible AChE inhibitor. Logan plots were used to compute distribution volumes (V(T)). The V(T) of [(11)C]CP-126,998 was highest in the basal ganglia and cerebellum and lowest in the cerebral cortex, thalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus. The regional V(T) values correlated well with AChE concentration measured in vitro. Donepezil, given 4 h before PET scanning, induced a substantial inhibition of [(11)C]CP-126,998 binding (43-62%) in all brain regions when compared to the baseline PET study. The results of this study indicate that PET imaging of [(11)C]CP-126,998 may be useful in quantifying the distribution of regional brain AChE. This new PET radiotracer may potentially be employed in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with disorders of cholinergic neurotransmission, such as Alzheimer's disease.
The selective, reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor 5,7-Dihydro-7-methyl-3- [2-[1-(phenylmethyl]-4-piperidinyl]ethyl]-6H-pyrrolo[3,2-f]-1,2-benzisoxazol3-6-o ne (CP-126,998) was labeled with C-11 iodomethane via base-promoted alkylation of the lactam nitrogen. [11C] CP-126,998 was synthesized in good radiochemical yield (13-29% non-decay corrected) and high specific radioactivity (177-418 GBq/micromol). In vivo mouse biodistribution studies reveal [11C] CP-126,998 to localize preferentially in striatal tissue, a region known to be rich in acetylcholinesterase. Competitive blocking studies using a variety of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (diisopropylfluorophosphate, tacrine, CP-118,954) verified the specificity of the PET radiotracer for brain acetylcholinesterase.
Title: In vivo labeling of nicotinic cholinergic receptors in brain with [3H]cytisine Flesher JE, Scheffel U, London ED, Frost JJ Ref: Life Sciences, 54:1883, 1994 : PubMed
[3H]Cytisine was evaluated as an in vivo ligand for the nicotinic cholinergic receptor (nAchR) in mouse brain. The tracer was injected intravenously, and radioactivity in brain regions was analyzed. Radioactivity peaked in the brain at 30 minutes. It was highest in the thalamus, intermediate in the superior colliculi, prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, and low in the cerebellum. Pretreatment with unlabeled cytisine inhibited binding in the thalamus, but not in the cerebellum. Binding was displaced by l-nicotine, but not by d-nicotine or dexetimide. The results suggest that cytisine, appropriately labeled with a positron emitting radionuclide, may be useful for study of nicotinic cholinergic receptors in humans by emission computed tomography.
