[11C]leucine

[11C]leucine is a radiolabeled amino acid used as a positron emission tomography (PET) tracer for the quantitative measurement of regional rates of cerebral protein synthesis in vivo. The compound consists of the essential amino acid leucine labeled with the positron-emitting isotope carbon-11. After intravenous administration, [11C]leucine crosses the blood-brain barrier and is incorporated into proteins during protein synthesis. PET imaging with [11C]leucine enables non-invasive assessment of brain protein metabolism and has been used in research on neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and in studies investigating memory formation. The mechanism involves uptake by amino acid transporters followed by incorporation into newly synthesized proteins, allowing quantification of protein synthesis rates in specific brain regions[4][6][8].

Other names

carbon-11 leucinecarbon11 leucinecarbon 11 leucineC-11 leucineC11 leucineC 11 leucineL-leucine (carbon-11 labeled)1-[11C]leucine