Biological characterization of F-18-labeled rhodamine B, a potential positron emission tomography perfusion tracer

Fluorine-18-labeled rhodamine B diethylene glycol ester ([18F]RhoBDEGF) provides excellent image quality and clear delineation of myocardial infarcts in a rat infarct model. In vitro studies demonstrate localization of the tracer in the mitochondria of cardiac myocytes. In combination, these results support the continued evaluation of this tracer for the PET assessment of myocardial perfusion.