MC18

MC18 is a fluorine-18 labeled radiopharmaceutical developed by the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) as a lead positron emission tomography (PET) tracer for imaging P-glycoprotein (P-gp) function. P-glycoprotein, encoded by the ABCB1 gene, is a key efflux transporter at the blood-brain barrier (BBB) that limits the entry of various therapeutic drugs into the central nervous system. MC18 is a structural derivative of the potent P-gp inhibitor tariquidar and was designed to act as a substrate for the transporter, enabling the non-invasive quantification of P-gp transport activity and expression in vivo. While it has been primarily utilized in preclinical research and early-phase clinical evaluation, it serves as a critical tool for investigating the role of P-gp dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, as well as in the mechanisms of drug resistance in epilepsy.

Other names

5-(1-(2-[18F]fluoroethoxy))-[3-(6,7-dimethoxy-3,4-dihydro-1H-isoquinolin-2-yl)-propyl]-5,6,7,8-tetrahydronaphthalen5-(3-(6,7-dimethoxy-3,4-dihydroisoquinolin-2(1H)-yl)propyl)-8-(2-[18F]fluoroethoxy)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene