Radiofluorinated Carbohydrates for Positron Emission Tomography

Jiyoung      Mun

doi:10.2174/1568026611313080007

Abstract

2-Deoxy-2-[¹⁸F]fluoro-D-glucose (2-¹⁸FDG) has represented radiofluorinated carbohydrates as the most successful tracer for positron emission tomography (PET). 2-¹⁸FDG uptake depends on glucose metabolism, which is related to a disease progression. 2-¹⁸FDG has been widely used in oncology, neurology, cardiology, infectious diseases, and inflammation, to complement anatomical modalities such as CT and MRI. Followed by the success of 2-¹⁸FDG, various radiofluorinated carbohydrates have been evaluated as PET tracers, which include analogs of D-ribose, D-mannose, Dgalactose, D-talose, D-fructose, D-allose, lactose, L-fucose, N-acetylneuraminic acid, and L-ascorbic acid. Among those radiofluorinated carbohydrates, several have implied potential for further development. 2-Deoxy-2-[¹⁸F]fluoro-Dgalactose has been developed to assess liver function and diagnose hepatic carcinoma. 6-Deoxy-6-[¹⁸F]fluoro-D-fructose showed promising characteristics for diagnosis of breast cancer. Three radiofluorinated analogs of lactose have been designed as the substrates of the overexpressed hepatocarcinoma-intestine-pancreas/pancreatitis-associated protein in peritumoral pancreatic tissue for early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. The metabolism of 6-[¹⁸F]fluoro-L-fucose suggested that it is a bioactive analog of L-fucose in the synthesis of glycoconjugate macromolecules. 6-Deoxy-6-[¹⁸F]fluoro-Lascorbic acid was evaluated to assess antioxidant function of L-ascorbic acid in rodent models of transient global ischemia and glutathione deficiency.

Keywords: 6-deoxy-6-[¹⁸F]fluoro-L-ascorbic acid, 6-deoxy-6-[¹⁸F]fluoro-D-fructose, 2-deoxy-2-[¹⁸F]fluoro-D-galactose, 2- deoxy-2-[¹⁸F]fluoro-D-glucose, 6-[¹⁸F]fluoro-L-fucose, positron emission tomography, radiofluorinated carbohydrate, radiofluorinated lactose.