Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci.
2011 Dec;9(3):111-116.
Occupancy of alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors in the Brain by Tropisetron: A Positron Emission Tomography Study Using [11C]CHIBA-1001 in Healthy Human Subjects
- Affiliations
-
- 1Division of Clinical Neuroscience, Chiba University Center for Forensic Mental Health, Chiba, Japan. hashimoto@faculty.chiba-u.jp
- 2Positron Medical Center, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan.
- 3Department of Psychiatry, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba, Japan.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
Agonists of alpha7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) have been developed as potential therapeutic drugs for neuropsychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease. Positron emission tomography (PET) is a noninvasive brain imaging technique to measure receptor occupancy in the living human brain. Although much effort has been expended to create specific PET radioligands for alpha7-nAChRs in the brain, only 4-[11C]methylphenyl-1,4-diazabicyclo[3.2.2.]nonane-4-carboxylate ([11C]CHIBA-1001) is currently available for clinical studies. In contrast, two 5-hydroxytryptamine-3 (5-HT3) receptor antagonists, tropisetron and ondansetron, have been used to treat patients with chemotherapy-induced or postoperative nausea and vomiting. Furthermore, tropisetron, but not ondansetron, possesses high affinity for alpha7-nAChRs. In the present study, we evaluated the receptor occupancy in the human brain after a single oral administration of tropisetron and ondansetron using [11C]CHIBA-1001 and PET.
METHODS
Two serial dynamic PET scans using [11C]CHIBA-1001 in healthy non-smoking male subjects were performed before and after receiving an oral administration of these medications.
RESULTS
A single oral administration of tropisetron, but not ondansetron, decreased the total distribution volume of [11C]CHIBA-1001 in the human brain.
CONCLUSION
This study shows that tropisetron, but not ondansetron, could bind to alpha7-nAChRs in the human brain after a single oral administration. Therefore, [11C]CHIBA-1001 may be a useful PET radioligand to measure the occupancy of alpha7-nAChRs in the human brain.