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Human brain imaging of nicotinic acetylcholine ?4?2* receptors using [18 F]Nifene: Selectivity, functional activity, toxicity, aging effects, gender effects, and extrathalamic pathways.

ABSTRACT: Nicotinic acetylcholinergic receptors (nAChR's) have been implicated in several brain disorders, including addiction, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. Here we report in vitro selectivity and functional properties, toxicity in rats, in vivo evaluation in humans, and comparison across species of [18 F]Nifene, a fast acting PET imaging agent for ?4?2* nAChRs. Nifene had subnanomolar affinities for h?2?2 (0.34 nM), h?3?2 (0.80 nM) and h?4?2 (0.83 nM) nAChR but weaker (27-219 nM) for h?4 nAChR subtypes and 169 nM for h?7 nAChR. In functional assays, Nifene (100 ?M) exhibited 14% agonist and >50% antagonist characteristics. In 14-day acute toxicity in rats, the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and the no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) were estimated to exceed 40 ?g/kg/day (278 ?g/m2 /day). In human PET studies, [18 F]Nifene (185 MBq; <0.10 ?g) was well tolerated with no adverse effects. Distribution volume ratios (DVR) of [18 F]Nifene in white matter thalamic radiations were ?1.6 (anterior) and ?1.5 (superior longitudinal fasciculus). Habenula known to contain ?3?2 nAChR exhibited low levels of [18 F]Nifene binding while the red nucleus with ?2?2 nAChR had DVR ?1.6-1.7. Females had higher [18 F]Nifene binding in all brain regions, with thalamus showing >15% than males. No significant aging effect was observed in [18 F]Nifene binding over 5 decades. In all species (mice, rats, monkeys, and humans) thalamus showed highest [18 F]Nifene binding with reference region ratios >2 compared to extrathalamic regions. Our findings suggest that [18 F]Nifene PET may be used to study ?4?2* nAChRs in various CNS disorders and for translational research.

SUBMITTER: Mukherjee J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5788574 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Human brain imaging of nicotinic acetylcholine α4β2* receptors using [<sup>18</sup> F]Nifene: Selectivity, functional activity, toxicity, aging effects, gender effects, and extrathalamic pathways.

Mukherjee Jogeshwar J Lao Patrick J PJ Betthauser Tobey J TJ Samra Gurleen K GK Pan Min-Liang ML Patel Ishani H IH Liang Christopher C Metherate Raju R Christian Bradley T BT

The Journal of comparative neurology 20170919 1

Nicotinic acetylcholinergic receptors (nAChR's) have been implicated in several brain disorders, including addiction, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. Here we report in vitro selectivity and functional properties, toxicity in rats, in vivo evaluation in humans, and comparison across species of [<sup>18</sup> F]Nifene, a fast acting PET imaging agent for α4β2* nAChRs. Nifene had subnanomolar affinities for hα2β2 (0.34 nM), hα3β2 (0.80 nM) and hα4β2 (0.83 nM) nAChR but w ...[more]

PMID: 28875553

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Project description:Nicotine, the principal reinforcing compound in tobacco, acts in the brain by activating neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). This review summarizes our current knowledge regarding how the α5 accessory nAChR subunit, encoded by the CHRNA5 gene, differentially modulates α4β2* and α3β4* receptors at the cellular level. Genome-wide association studies have linked a gene cluster in chromosomal region 15q25 to increased susceptibility to nicotine addiction, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and peripheral arterial disease. Interestingly, this gene cluster contains a non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the human CHRNA5 gene, causing an aspartic acid (D) to asparagine (N) substitution at amino acid position 398 in the α5 nAChR subunit. Although other SNPs have been associated with tobacco smoking behavior, efforts have focused predominantly on the D398 and N398 variants in the α5 subunit. In recent years, significant progress has been made toward understanding the role that the α5 nAChR subunit-and the role of the D398 and N398 variants-plays on nAChR function at the cellular level. These insights stem primarily from a wide range of experimental models, including receptors expressed heterologously in Xenopus oocytes, various cell lines, and neurons derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), as well as endogenous receptors in genetically engineered mice and-more recently-rats. Despite providing a wealth of available data, however, these studies have yielded conflicting results, and our understanding of the modulatory role that the α5 subunit plays remains incomplete. Here, we review these reports and the various techniques used for expression and analysis in order to examine how the α5 subunit modulates key functions in α4β2* and α3β4* receptors, including receptor trafficking, sensitivity, efficacy, and desensitization. In addition, we highlight the strikingly different role that the α5 subunit plays in Ca2+ signaling between α4β2* and α3β4* receptors, and we discuss whether the N398 α5 subunit variant can partially replace the D398 variant.

Project description:The positron emission tomography (PET) radioligand (-)-[(18)F]flubatine is specific to α4β2(⁎) nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and has promise for future investigation of the acetylcholine system in neuropathologies such as Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and substance use disorders. The two goals of this work were to develop a simplified method for α4β2(⁎) nAChR quantification with bolus plus constant infusion (B/I) (-)-[(18)F]flubatine administration, and to assess the radioligand's sensitivity to acetylcholine fluctuations in humans. Healthy human subjects were imaged following either bolus injection (n=8) or B/I (n=4) administration of (-)-[(18)F]flubatine. The metabolite-corrected input function in arterial blood was measured. Free-fraction corrected distribution volumes (VT/fP) were estimated with modeling and graphical analysis techniques. Next, sensitivity to acetylcholine was assessed in two ways: 1. A bolus injection paradigm with two scans (n=6), baseline (scan 1) and physostigmine challenge (scan 2; 1.5mg over 60min beginning 5min prior to radiotracer injection); 2. A single scan B/I paradigm (n=7) lasting up to 240min with 1.5mg physostigmine administered over 60min beginning at 125min of radiotracer infusion. Changes in VT/fP were measured. Baseline VT/fP values were 33.8±3.3mL/cm(3) in thalamus, 12.9±1.6mL/cm(3) in cerebellum, and ranged from 9.8 to 12.5mL/cm(3) in other gray matter regions. The B/I paradigm with equilibrium analysis at 120min yielded comparable VT/fP values with compartment modeling analysis of bolus data in extrathalamic gray matter regions (regional means <4% different). Changes in VT/fP following physostigmine administration were small and most pronounced in cortical regions, ranging from 0.8 to 4.6% in the two-scan paradigm and 2.8 to 6.5% with the B/I paradigm. These results demonstrate the use of B/I administration for accurate quantification of (-)-[(18)F]flubatine VT/fP in 120min, and suggest possible sensitivity of (-)-[(18)F]flubatine binding to physostigmine-induced changes in acetylcholine levels.

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Dataset Information

Human brain imaging of nicotinic acetylcholine ?4?2* receptors using [18 F]Nifene: Selectivity, functional activity, toxicity, aging effects, gender effects, and extrathalamic pathways.

Publications

Human brain imaging of nicotinic acetylcholine α4β2* receptors using [<sup>18</sup> F]Nifene: Selectivity, functional activity, toxicity, aging effects, gender effects, and extrathalamic pathways.

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