title: High uptake of [2-11C]acetyl-L-carnitine into the brain: a PET study.
abstract: The brain uptake of acetylcarnitine was investigated in rhesus monkeys using different position labeled acetyl-L-carnitine and related molecules with 11C by positron emission tomography. The uptake values of radio-labeled acetylcarnitine into the brain were quite different depending on the labeling positions of 11C. That is, the uptake values of L-[methyl-11C]carnitine and acetyl-L-[methyl-11C]carnitine were almost the same and extremely low, while the uptake of [1-11C]-acetyl-L-carnitine was slightly higher. The uptake value of [2-11C]acetyl-L-carnitine was by far the highest among the 11C-labeled acetyl-L-carnitine and L-carnitine. The uptake of [2-11C]acetyl-L-carnitine into the brain was suppressed by the intravenous administration of glucose. These results suggest that endogenous serum acetyl-L-carnitine has some roles on conveying an acetyl moiety into the brain especially under an energy crisis, and that an unknown metabolic pathway of [2-11C]acetyl moiety might be rather active in the brain.
authors.affiliation: Subfemtomole Biorecognition Project, Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Osaka, Japan. kuratune@bldon.med.osaka-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kuratsune
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamaguti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jacobsson
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Machii
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Onoe
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Onoe
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsumura
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Valind
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kitani
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Långström
mesh_terms: D000108:Acetylcarnitine / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D002952:Citric Acid Cycle; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
chemical_list: D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D000108:Acetylcarnitine