GMP-compliant fully automated radiosynthesis of [(18)F]FEPPA for PET/MRI imaging of regional brain TSPO expression

BACKGROUND: Expression of translocator protein (TSPO) on the outer mitochondrial membrane of activated microglia is strongly associated with neuroinflammation. The second-generation PET ligand [(18)F]FEPPA specifically binds TSPO to enable in vivo visualization and quantification of neuroinflammation. We optimized a fully automated radiosynthesis method and evaluated the utility of [(18)F]FEPPA, the second-generation PET ligand specifically binds TSPO, in a mouse model of systemic LPS challenge to detect TSPO-associated signals of central and peripheral inflammation. In vivo dynamic PET/MR imaging was performed in LPS-induced and control mice after [(18)F]FEPPA administration. The relationship between the [(18)F]FEPPA signal and the dose of LPS was assessed. The cytokine levels (i.e., TNF-α, Il-1β, Il-6) in LPS-induced mice were measured by RT-PCR. Standard uptake value (SUV), total volume of distribution (VT) and area under the curve (AUC) were determined based on the metabolite-uncorrected plasma input function. Western blotting and immunostaining were used to measure TSPO expression in the brain. RESULTS: The fully automated [(18)F]FEPPA radiosynthesis produced an uncorrected radiochemical yield of 30 ± 2% within 80 min, with a radiochemical purity greater than 99% and specific activity of 148.9‒216.8 GBq/µmol. Significant differences were observed in the brain after [(18)F]FEPPA administration: SUV, VT and AUC were 1.61 ± 0.1, 1.25 ± 0.12 and 1.58 ± 0.09-fold higher in LPS-injected mice than controls. TNF-α, Il-1β and Il-6 mRNA levels were also elevated in the brains of LPS-injected mice. Western blotting revealed TSPO (p < 0.05) and Iba-1 (p < 0.01) were upregulated in the brain after LPS administration. In LPS-injected mice, TSPO immunoactivity colocalized with Iba-1 in the cerebrum and TSPO was significantly overexpressed in the hippocampus and cerebellum. The peripheral organs (heart, lung) of LPS-injected mice had higher [(18)F]FEPPA signal-to-noise ratios than control mice. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the current data on ligand specificity and selectivity in central tissues using 7 T PET/MR imaging, we demonstrate that [(18)F]FEPPA accumulations significant increased in the specific brain regions of systemic LPS-induced neuroinflammation (5 mg/kg). Future investigations are needed to determine the sensitivity of [(18)F]FEPPA as a biomarker of neuroinflammation as well as the correlation between the PET signal intensity and the expression levels of TSPO. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13550-021-00768-9.