Quantitative Assessment of Acetyl-Carnitine Effects on AnestheticInduced Neuronal Death Using MicroPET/CT Imaging

… described previously [20, 47]. Briefly, non-invasive pulse oximetry (MouseOX Plus
Vital Sign Monitor, StarrTM Life Sciences, Oakmont, PA, USA) was used to verify
the physiological status of subjects. Heart and respiration rates … Co-administration of isoflurane (ISO) and nitrous oxide(N2O) triggers neuronal apoptosis in postnatal day 7 (PND 7) rats. Inthis study, the effect of ISO/N2O on neuronal apoptosis in the brainsof rats and the potential protective effect of acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC)on anesthetic-induced neuronal cell death were investigated usingmicroPET/CT imaging. On PND 7, rat in the experimental group wereexposed to ISO/N2O for 8 h with or without ALC, and control rat wereexposed to room air. On PNDs 14, 21, and 28, MicroPET/CT imageswere obtained with [18F]-DFNSH for 90 min. In PND 14 treated rats,the uptake of [18F]-DFNSH was increased, and the duration of tracerwash-out was prolonged. The uptake of the tracer was attenuated whenthey were treated with ALC. This retention is significant for at leastone week after exposure. ALC blocks retention of DFNSH, sugg