New Opioids Research from National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Outlined (Investigation of [11C]carfentanil for mu opioid receptor quantification in the rat brain).

A new report from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism discusses the use of [11C]carfentanil as a radiotracer for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of mu opioid receptors (MORs) in the rat brain. The research found that [11C]carfentanil can cause physiological effects such as changes in heart rate and carbon dioxide levels in rats. The study also found that the amount of [11C]carfentanil injected can influence MOR availability in the brain. The researchers recommend strict quality control measures to ensure accurate quantification and reproducibility in rat [11C]carfentanil PET studies. [Extracted from the article]