(11)C-Methionine PET Identifies Astroglia Involvement in Heart–Brain Inflammation Networking After Acute Myocardial Infarction

Acute myocardial infarction (MI) triggers a local and systemic inflammatory response. We recently showed microglia involvement using translocator protein imaging. Here, we evaluated whether (11)C-methionine provides further insight into heart–brain inflammation networking. Methods: Male C57BL/6 mice underwent permanent coronary artery ligation followed by (11)C-methionine PET at 3 and 7 d (n = 3). In subgroups, leukocyte homing was blocked by integrin antibodies (n = 5). The cellular substrate for PET signal was identified using brain section immunostaining. Results: (11)C-methionine uptake (percentage injected dose/cm(3)) peaked in the MI region on day 3 (5.9 ± 0.9 vs. 2.4 ± 0.5), decreasing to the control level by day 7 (4.3 ± 0.6). Brain uptake was proportional to cardiac uptake (r = 0.47, P < 0.05), peaking also on day 3 (2.9 ± 0.4 vs. 2.4 ± 0.3) and returning to baseline on day 7 (2.3 ± 0.4). Integrin blockade reduced uptake at every time point. Immunostaining on day 3 revealed colocalization of the l-type amino acid transporter, with glial fibrillary acidic protein–positive astrocytes but not CD68-positive microglia. Conclusion: PET imaging with (11)C-methionine specifically identifies an astrocyte component, enabling further dissection of the heart–brain axis in post-MI inflammation.