Evaluation of  PET tracers [11C]D-deprenyl, [11C]L-dideuteriumdeprenyl and [18F]FDG for Visualization of Acute Inflammation in a Rat Model of Pain - Preliminary Findings.

• Purpose: Positron emission tomography with the radioligand [11C]D-deprenyl has shown an increased signal at the location of pain in patients with ankle sprains, rheumatoid arthritis and chronic whiplash injury, but the mechanism of this tracer uptake and its exact binding site in inflammation or tissue injury is still unclear. The aim of this study was to further evaluate [11C]D-deprenyl´s usefulness as a marker of acute inflammation.Methods: An animal PET/CT study was performed three days after the induction of a rat model of inflammatory or surgical pain. Fourteen adult male Sprague-Dawley rats and three tracers [11C]D-deprenyl, [11C]L-dideuterumdeprenyl and [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose were used. Results: No [11C]D-deprenyl accumulation was seen in a rat model of musculoskeletal pain. In the rat model of inflammatory pain all three ligands were shown to visualize the inflamed ankle joint with much lower uptake in the control ankle joint. The uptake was largest with [11C]D-deprenyl and [11C]L- dideuteriumdeprenyl, where approximately 1 % of the injected dose could be found in the affected ankle joint during the first minutes, whereas the uptake of [18F]FDG was approximately 0.5 % of the injected dose. However, the ratio of uptake of the injected ankle joint versus the control ankle joint was much higher for [18F]FDG (around 10 fold increase) than for the two deprenyl enantiomers (2 – 3 fold increase). The uptake pattern of [11C]D-deprenyl and [11C]L-dideuteriumdeprenyl did not show signs of specific binding or irreversible trapping.Conclusions: Contrary to our expectations, of the three tracers only [18F]FDG may be used as markers of peripheral inflammation in a rat model of inflammatory pain. However, as a high site-specificity is required, [11C]D-deprenyl and [11C]L-dideyteriumdeprenyl deserve further exploration regarding sensitivity, specificity and uptake mechanisms in human pain syndromes.

Nyckelord

deprenyl; inflammation; pain; PET; carbon-11

Anestesiologi och intensivvård

Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

ovr (ämneskategori)