Metabolic fate of radiolabeled palmitate in ischemic canine myocardium: implications for positron emission tomography.

Interpretation of dynamic and integrated myocardial tomograms requires elucidation of the biochemical fate of the tracer and characterization of its tissue distribution and rate of efflux. The fate of [1-11C] and [1-14C]palmitate was studied in 13 open-chest dogs during control or ischemic extracorporeal perfusion of the left circumflex coronary artery. Residue detection of myocardial radioactivity, and radio-biochemical analyses of sequential transmural biopsies and arterial and coronary venous effluent were performed for 30 min after intracoronary bolus administration of tracer. In control hearts, 10.3% of initially extracted tracer was retained in tissue (2.9% in triglyceride, 3.5% in phospholipid, and 3.9% in other lipid and aqueous fractions), 73.7% was oxidized, and 16.1% back-diffused unaltered. With ischemia (pump flow 10% of normal), 28.1% was retained (18% in triglyceride, 6.0% in phospholipid, and 4.1% in other lipid and aqueous fractions), 27.2% was oxidized, and 44.4% back diffused (p less than 0.05 compared to control). Throughout the 30-min study interval, triglyceride, diglyceride, and nonesterified fatty acid comprised a significantly greater fraction of initially extracted radioactivity in ischemic than in control hearts. Thus, during ischemia externally detected clearance rates cannot be used as a direct measure of fatty acid metabolism because of marked influences on efflux of nonmetabolized radiolabeled palmitate and the distribution of tracer retained in tissue. Quantitative measurements of specific metabolic processes by tomography will require development and validation of tracers confined to individual metabolic pathways or pools.