Biodistribution and radiation dosimetry of the norepinephrine transporter radioligand (S,S)-[18F]FMeNER-D2: a human whole-body PET study.

Abstract

(S,S)-[(18)F]FMeNER-D(2) is a recently developed positron-emission tomography (PET) radioligand for in vivo quantification of the norepinephrine transporter system. The aim of this study was to provide dosimetry estimates for (S,S)-[(18)F]FMeNER-D(2) based on human whole-body PET measurements. PET scans were performed for a total of 6.4 h after the injection of 168.9 +/- 31.5 MBq of (S,S)-[(18)F]FMeNER-D(2) in four healthy male subjects. Volumes of interest were drawn on the coronal images. Estimates of the absorbed dose of radiation were calculated using the OLINDA software. Uptake was largest in lungs, followed by liver, bladder, brain and other organs. Peak values of the percent injected dose (%ID) at a time after radioligand injection were calculated for the lung (21.6%ID at 0.3 h), liver (5.1%ID at 0.3 h), bladder (12.2%ID at 6 h) and brain (2.3%ID at 0.3 h). The largest absorbed dose was found in the urinary bladder wall (0.039 mGy/MBq). The calculated effective dose was 0.017 mSv/MBq. Based on the distribution and dose estimates, the estimated radiation burden of (S,S)-[(18)F]FMeNER-D(2) is lower than that of [(18)F]FDG. The radioligand would allow multiple PET examinations in the same research subject per year.