Preclinical Properties of ¹⁸F-AV-45: A PET Agent for Aβ Plaques in the Brain

(18)F-AV-45 displayed a high binding affinity and specificity to Abeta plaques (K(d), 3.72 +/- 0.30 nM). In vitro autoradiography of postmortem human brain sections showed substantial plaque labeling in AD brains and not in the control brains. Initial high brain uptake and rapid washout from the brain of healthy mice and monkey were observed. Metabolites produced in the blood of healthy mice after an intravenous injection were identified. (18)F-AV-45 displayed excellent binding affinity to Abeta plaques in the AD brain by ex vivo autoradiography in transgenic AD model mice. The results lend support that (18)F-AV-45 may be a useful PET agent for detecting Abeta plaques in the living human brain.