Facile synthesis and PET imaging of a novel potential heart acetylcholinesterase tracer N-[11C]methyl-3-[[(dimethylamino)carbonyl]oxy]-2-(2′,2′-diphenylpropionoxymethyl)pyridinium

A new AChE tracer N-[11C]methyl-3-[[(dimethylamino)carbonyl]oxy]-2-(2′,2′-diphenylpropionoxymethyl)pyridinium ([11C]MDDP, [11C]1) has been synthesized in 40-65% radiochemical yield. Initial PET dynamic studies of [11C]MDDP in rat heart showed rapid heart uptake and blood pool clearance to give high-quality heart images. Blocking studies of [11C]MDDP with pretreatment drug neostigmine in rats found only minor reductions in rat heart [11C]MDDP retention. The results suggest that [11C]MDDP delineates the heart very clearly, and the uptakes of [11C]MDDP in rat heart might be related to non-specific binding.