Radiosynthesis and radiopharmacological evaluation of [N-methyl-11C]Org 34850 as a glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-binding radiotracer

The radiotracer is rapidly metabolized in rat plasma leading to the formation of two more hydrophilic metabolites as the major metabolites. Radiopharmacological evaluation involving biodistribution and small animal PET imaging in normal Wistar rats showed that the compound [N-methyl-11C]Org 34850 is not able to sufficiently penetrate the blood-brain barrier. Therefore, compound [N-methyl-11C]Org 34850 seems not to be a suitable PET radiotracer for imaging rat brain GRs. However, involvement of Pgp or species differences requires further clarification to establish whether the radiotracer [N-methyl-11C]Org 34850 may still represent a suitable candidate for imaging GRs in humans.