title: 11C-methionine uptake to the pancreas and its secretion: a positron emission tomography study in humans.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the uptake of [11C-methyl]-L-methionine (11C-methionine) in the human pancreas by analyzing dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) images and the duodenal aspirate. A double-lumen tube was inserted in the duodenum and dynamic PET was performed in seven healthy volunteers for 110 min after intravenous (i.v.) injection of 11C-methionine during the continuous i.v. administration of secretin (125 ng/kg/h) and cerulein (30 ng/kg/h). For the calculation of the radioactivity in the pancreas, the regions of interest were set on the PET images. Radioactivity was measured in 10-min fractions of duodenal juice. After i.v. injection, 11C-methionine accumulated in the pancreas within a few minutes, and the radioactivity plateaued during the study. The radiolabeled proteins in the duodenal juice increased linearly 30 min after 11C-methionine injection, but the relative rates of radioactivity in the protein precipitate to the total count in the duodenal juice were 44-48%. From these findings, it was concluded that 11C-methionine accumulation in the pancreas is very rapid after the i.v. administration, and only a part of methionine uptake to the pancreas is incorporated into secretory proteins. The pancreatic 11C-methionine uptake detected by PET may represent a new aspect of exocrine pancreatic function that has not been expressed by the conventional intubation method.
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Internal Medicine, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Miyagi, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takasu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimosegawa
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shimosegawa
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hatazawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koizumi
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kanno
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Toyota
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000681:Amylases / Q000378:metabolism; D001639:Bicarbonates / Q000378:metabolism; D001826:Body Fluids / Q000737:chemistry; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D002108:Ceruletide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004386:Duodenum / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D008715:Methionine / Q000378:metabolism*; D010179:Pancreas / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012633:Secretin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D014357:Trypsin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001639:Bicarbonates; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D012633:Secretin; D002108:Ceruletide; D008715:Methionine; D000681:Amylases; D014357:Trypsin