ABSTRACT. The fluorinated D-glucose analog 18 F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ( 18 F-FDG) is the most prevalent radiopharmaceutical for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. P-Glycoprotein's (P-gp, MDR1, and ABCB1) function in various cancer cell lines and tumors was shown to impact 18 F-FDG incorporation, suggesting that P-gp function at the blood-brain barrier may also modulate 18 F-FDG brain kinetics. We tested the influence of P-gp inhibition using the cyclosporine analog valspodar (PSC833; 5 μM) on the uptake of PET analysis revealed that P-gp inhibition had no significant impact on estimated brain kinetics parameters K 1 , k 2 , k 3 , V T , and CMR Glc . The lack of P-gp effect on in vivo 18 F-FDG brain distribution was confirmed in P-gp/Bcrp-deficient mice. P-gp inhibition indirectly modulates 18 F-FDG uptake into P-gp-overexpressing cells, possibly through differences in the energetic cell level state.
18F-FDG is not a P-gp substrate at the BBB and 18 F-FDG brain kinetics as well as estimated brain glucose metabolism are influenced by neither P-gp inhibition nor P-gp/Bcrp deficiencies in baboon and mice, respectively.