PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Shi, Jiong
AU  - Perry, George
AU  - Berridge, Marc S.
AU  - Aliev, Gjumrakch
AU  - Siedlak, Sandy L.
AU  - Smith, Mark A.
AU  - LaManna, Joseph C.
AU  - Friedland, Robert P.
TI  - Labeling of Cerebral Amyloid β Deposits In Vivo Using Intranasal Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor and Serum Amyloid P Component in Mice
DP  - 2002 Aug 01
TA  - Journal of Nuclear Medicine
PG  - 1044--1051
VI  - 43
IP  - 8
4099  - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/43/8/1044.short
4100  - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/43/8/1044.full
SO  - J Nucl Med2002 Aug 01; 43
AB  - There is currently no method for noninvasive imaging of amyloid β (Aβ) deposition in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Because Aβ plaques are characteristic of AD and Aβ deposits contain abundant heparan sulfate proteoglycans that can bind basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and serum amyloid P component (SAP), we investigated a novel route of ligand delivery to the brain to assess Aβ deposition in a transgenic (Tg) mouse model overexpressing Aβ-protein precursor. Methods: The biodistribution of bFGF injected intranasally was studied using 125I-bFGF in Tg and wild-type control mice and by unlabeled bFGF and SAP immunocytochemistry with light and electron microscopy. Results: Three- to 5-fold higher amounts of 125I-bFGF were found in the brain of Tg mice than that of wild-type mice (P < 0.05). bFGF or SAP given intranasally labeled cerebral Aβ plaques in the cortex and microvessels of Tg mice but not in wild-type mice. Weak bFGF staining and no SAP staining were detected in Tg mice without intranasal injection of the ligands. bFGF and SAP stained neurons around the rim of Aβ deposits and throughout the cortex in Tg mice. There was only weak staining of neurons in Tg mice without intranasal injection of bFGF and no staining of SAP in Tg mice without intranasal injection of SAP. No bFGF or SAP staining was evident in wild-type control mice. Conclusion: We report a novel noninvasive method for labeling Aβ plaques. This method may be modified for human studies using intranasal injection of radiolabeled ligands and imaging with SPECT or PET.