PET Imaging of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase with [ 18 F]DOPP in Nonhuman Primates
Here, the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) regulates endocannabinoid signaling. [ 11 C]CURB, an irreversibly binding FAAH inhibitor, has been developed for clinical research imaging with PET. However, no fluorine-18 labeled radiotracer for FAAH has yet advanced to human studies. [ 18 F]DOPP ([ 18 F]3-(4,5-dihydrooxazol-2-yl)phenyl (5-fluoropentyl)carbamate) has been identified as a promising 18 F-labeled analogue based on rodent studies. The goal of this work is to evaluate [ 18 F]DOPP in nonhuman primates to support its clinical translation. High specific activity [ 18 F]DOPP (5–6 Ci·μmol –1 ) was administered intravenously (iv) to three baboons (2M/1F, 3–4 years old). The distribution and pharmacokinetics were quantified following a 2 h dynamic imaging session using a simultaneous PET/MR scanner. Pretreatment with the FAAH-selective inhibitor, URB597, was carried out at 200 or 300 μg/kg iv, 10 min prior to [ 18 F]DOPP administration. Rapid arterial blood sampling for the first 3 min was followed by interval sampling with metabolite analysis to provide a parent radiotracer plasma input function that indicated ~95% baseline metabolism at 60 min and a reduced rate of metabolism after pretreatment with URB597. Regional distribution data were analyzed with 1-, 2-, and 3-tissue compartment models (TCMs), with and without irreversible trapping since [ 18 F]DOPP covalently links to the active site of FAAH. Consistent with previous findings for [ 11 C]CURB, the 2TCM with irreversible binding was found to provide the best fit for modeling the data in all regions. The composite parameter λk 3 was therefore used to evaluate whole brain (WB) and regional binding of [ 18 F]DOPP. Pretreatment studies showed inhibition of λk 3 across all brain regions (WB baseline: 0.112 mL/cm3/min; 300 μg/kg URB597: 0.058 mL/cm 3 /min), suggesting that [ 18 F]DOPP binding is specific for FAAH, consistent with previous rodent data.