Positron emission tomography (PET) probes are specific and sensitive while suffering from radiation risk. It is worthwhile to explore the chemical emission saturation transfer (CEST) effects of the probe prototypes and repurpose them for CEST imaging to avoid radiation. In this study, we used 11C-PiB as an example of a PET probe for detecting amyloid and tested the feasibility of repurposing this PET probe prototype, PiB, for CEST imaging. After optimizing the parameters through preliminary phantom experiments, we used APP/PS1 transgenic mice and age-matched C57 mice for in vivo CEST magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of amyloid. Furthermore, the pathological assessment was conducted on the same brain slices to evaluate the correlation between the CEST MRI signal abnormality and β-amyloid deposition detected by immunohistochemical staining. In our results, the Z-spectra revealed an apparent CEST effect that peaked at approximately 6 ppm. APP/PS1 mice as young as 9 months injected with PiB showed a significantly higher CEST effect compared to the control groups. The hyperintense region was correlated with the Aβ deposition shown by pathological staining. In conclusion, repurposing the PET probe prototype for CEST MRI imaging is feasible and enables label- and radiation-free detection of the amyloid while maintaining the sensitivity and specificity of the ligand. This study opens the door to developing CEST probes based on PET probe prototypes.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; CEST MRI; PET probe; PiB; amyloid; repurposing.