2-Deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-galactose: a new tracer for the measurement of galactose metabolism in the liver by positron emission tomography.

We prepared 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-galactose as a potential radiopharmaceutical for liver imaging and for the assessment by positron emission tomography of regional metabolic function of the liver. In biodistribution studies of rats, the liver uptake of the compound was very high, almost reaching a plateau (6.33% dose/g) at 30 min and remaining constant until 120 min. This high uptake was reduced by simultaneous administration of D-galactose, but D-glucose had no effect. The compound was much less concentrated in the liver that had been damaged by CCl4 treatment. Positron imaging of a rabbit liver showed a remarkable uptake of the compound with a high liver-to-blood ratio. The high concentration in the liver was also reduced by the administration of D-galactose. These data suggest that the compound was trapped in the liver by a metabolic process and could be used for the measurement by positron emission tomography of galactose metabolism in the liver.