Background: The alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) play an important role in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease. The goal of this study was to evaluate the two carbon-11-labeled alpha7 nAChR agonists [(11)C]A-582941 and [(11)C]A-844606 for their potential as novel positron emission tomography (PET) tracers.
Methodology/principal findings: The two tracers were synthesized by methylation of the corresponding desmethyl precursors using [(11)C]methyl triflate. Effects of receptor blockade in mice were determined by coinjection of either tracer along with a carrier or an excess amount of a selective alpha7 nAChR agonist (SSR180711). Metabolic stability was investigated using radio-HPLC. Dynamic PET scans were performed in conscious monkeys with/without SSR180711-treatment. [(11)C]A-582941 and [(11)C]A-844606 showed high uptake in the mouse brain. Most radioactive compounds in the brain were detected as an unchanged form. However, regional selectivity and selective receptor blockade were not clearly observed for either compound in the mouse brain. On the other hand, the total distribution volume of [(11)C]A-582941 and [(11)C]A-844606 was high in the hippocampus and thalamus but low in the cerebellum in the conscious monkey brain, and reduced by pretreatment with SSR180711.
Conclusions/significance: A nonhuman primate study suggests that [(11)C]A-582941 and [(11)C]A-844606 would be potential PET ligands for imaging alpha7 nAChRs in the human brain.