Synthesis and preclinical evaluation of the radiolabeled P-glycoprotein inhibitor [11C]MC113

ObjectivesWith the aim to develop a PET tracer to visualize P-glycoprotein (Pgp) expression levels in different organs, the Pgp inhibitor MC113 was labeled with 11C and evaluated using small-animal PET.Methods[11C]MC113 was synthesized by reaction of O-desmethyl MC113 with [11C]methyl triflate. Small-animal PET was performed with [11C]MC113 in FVB wild-type and Mdr1a/b(-/-) mice (n = 3 per group) and in a mouse model of high (EMT6Ar1.0) and low (EMT6) Pgp expressing tumor grafts (n = 5). In the tumor model, PET scans were performed before and after administration of the reference Pgp inhibitor tariquidar (15 mg/kg).ResultsBrain uptake of [11C]MC113, expressed as area under the time-activity curve from time 0 to 60 min (AUC0-60), was moderately but not significantly increased in Mdr1a/b(-/-) compared with wild-type mice (mean ± SD AUC0-60, Mdr1a/b(-/-): 88 ± 7 min, wild-type: 62 ± 6 min, P = 0.100, Mann Whitney test). In the tumor model, AUC0-60 values were not significantly different between EMT6Ar1.0 and EMT6 tumors. Neither in brain nor in tumors was activity concentration significantly changed in response to tariquidar administration. Half-maximum effect concentrations (IC50) for inhibition of Pgp-mediated rhodamine 123 efflux from CCRFvcr1000 cells were 375 ± 60 nM for MC113 versus 8.5 ± 2.5 nM for tariquidar.Conclusion[11C]MC113 showed higher brain uptake in mice than previously described Pgp PET tracers, suggesting that [11C]MC113 was only to a low extent effluxed by Pgp. However, [11C]MC113 was found unsuitable to visualize Pgp expression levels presumably due to insufficiently high Pgp binding affinity of MC113 in relation to Pgp densities in brain and tumors.