title: Studies with [11C]alprazolam: an agonist for the benzodiazepine receptor.
abstract: We have built a system for the synthesis of high specific activity carbon-11 alprazolam (Xanax), a high affinity agonist for the benzodiazepine receptor. The system produces 30-40 mCi of the compound with a specific activity of > 12,000 Ci per millimole. Using this compound we have performed PET studies on 6 normal subjects and studied the cerebral influx and efflux of the compound. The uptake in the brain was low, approx. 1% of the administered dose. However, the levels of the compound in the circulation at early time points are heavily affected by the specific activity of the tracer, i.e. when pharmacologically active doses are used as blocking doses the concentration of radioactive material is higher in the circulation and more material enters the brain. We attribute this to a depot effect where the compound is trapped in saturatable sites in an organ, probably the lungs, and is slowly released over time. In the presence of blocking doses of agonist, the compound washes out of the brain more quickly suggesting that some blockade of the receptors is occurring. However, the pharmacological activity of the compound does not permit the administration of enough material to ensure complete receptor blockade. The compound shows definite signs of acting as a receptor binding ligand but the unusual pharmacokinetics complicate the interpretation of the data.
authors.affiliation: Positron Diagnostic and Research Center, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, USA.
authors.forename: F R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Dobbs
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Banks
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Fleishaker
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Valentine
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Kinsey
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Franceschini
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Digenis
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Tewson
mesh_terms: D000525:Alprazolam / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D001667:Binding, Competitive; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D007839:Functional Laterality; D058785:GABA-A Receptor Agonists; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008140:Lorazepam / Q000494:pharmacology; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A / Q000032:analysis; D012016:Reference Values; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
chemical_list: D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D058785:GABA-A Receptor Agonists; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A; D008140:Lorazepam; D000525:Alprazolam