Characterization of AZD4694, a novel fluorinated Abeta plaque neuroimaging PET radioligand.

Positron emission tomography (PET) radioligands that bind selectively to beta-amyloid plaques (Abeta) are promising imaging tools aimed at supporting the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and the evaluation of new drugs aiming to modify amyloid plaque load. For extended clinical use, there is a particular need for PET tracers labeled with fluorine-18, a radionuclide with 110 min half-life allowing for central synthesis followed by wide distribution. The development of fluorinated radioligands is, however, challenging because of the lipophilic nature of aromatic fluorine, rendering fluorinated ligands more prone to have high non-specific white matter binding. We have here developed the new benzofuran-derived radioligand containing fluorine, AZD4694 that shows high affinity for beta-amyloid fibrils in vitro (K(d) = 2.3 +/- 0.3 nM). In cortical sections from human Alzheimer's disease brain [(3)H]AZD4694 selectively labeled beta-amyloid deposits in gray matter, whereas there was a lower level of non-displaceable binding in plaque devoid white matter. Administration of unlabeled AZD4694 to rat showed that it has a pharmacokinetic profile consistent with good PET radioligands, i.e., it quickly entered and rapidly cleared from normal rat brain tissue. Ex vivo binding data in aged Tg2576 mice after intravenous administration of [(3)H]AZD4694 showed selective binding to beta-amyloid deposits in a reversible manner. In Tg2576 mice, plaque bound [(3)H]AZD4694 could still be detected 80 min after i.v. administration. Taken together, the preclinical profile of AZD4694 suggests that fluorine-18 labeled AZD4694 may have potential for PET-visualization of cerebral beta-amyloid deposits in the living human brain.

Synthesis and evaluation of 2-pyridylbenzothiazole, 2-pyridylbenzoxazole and 2-pyridylbenzofuran derivatives as 11C-PET imaging agents for beta-amyloid plaques.

The syntheses and SAR of new series of beta-amyloid binding agents are reported. The effort to optimize signal-to-background ratios for these ligands are described. Compounds 8, 21 and 30 displayed desirable lipophilicity and pharmacokinetic properties. Compounds 8 and 21 were evaluated with in vitro autoradiographic studies and in vivo in APP/PS1 transgenic mice. It is shown that it was possible to increase the signal-to-background ratios compared to PIB 1, as demonstrated by compounds 8 and 21.

AZD2184: a radioligand for sensitive detection of beta-amyloid deposits.

The presence of beta-amyloid plaques in brain is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and serves as a biomarker for confirmation of diagnosis postmortem. Positron emission tomography (PET) radioligands such as Pittsburgh compound B ([(11)C]-2-(3-fluoro-4-methylamino-phenyl)-benzothiazol-6-ol) (PIB) binds selectively to beta-amyloid and are promising new tools supporting the clinical diagnoses of AD. In addition, such methodology may be useful for evaluation of new drugs aiming at reduction of amyloid plaque load. The objective of this study is to develop a new amyloid selective PET radioligand with higher signal-to-background ratio when compared with existing amyloid PET ligands. The lead compound, AZD2184, (2-[6-(methylamino)pyridin-3-yl]-1,3-benzothiazol-6-ol) was found to have high affinity for amyloid fibrils in vitro (K(d): 8.4 +/- 1.0 nM). Two minutes after i.v. administration in rats, about 1% of the dose was in brain. In vitro autoradiography on cortical brain sections from amyloid-beta precursor protein/presenilin 1 (APP/PS1) mice and AD patients showed that while [(3)H]AZD2184 and [(3)H]PIB are mutually displaceable, [(3)H]AZD2184 displays a higher signal-to-background ratio primarily by virtue of lower background binding levels. The ratio of binding ability in prefrontal cortex (high plaque load) to subcortical white matter (background) was 4.5 for [(3)H]AZD2184 and 0.8 for [(3)H]PIB at 1 nM. In adjacent cortical sections from APP/PS1 mouse as well as from AD cortical tissue, [(3)H]AZD2184 and antibodies to human beta-amyloid labeled identical structures. In vivo administration of [(3)H]AZD2184 to APP/PS1 mice further showed that [(3)H]AZD2184 labels amyloid deposits with low non-specific background binding. Taken together, the pre-clinical profile of AZD2184 in relation to the reference ligand PIB, suggests that (11)C-labeled AZD2184 is a potential radioligand for PET-visualization of beta-amyloid deposits in the living human brain.

Localization of neuropeptide Y receptor Y5 mRNA in the guinea pig brain by in situ hybridization.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) has prominent stimulatory effects on food intake in virtually all animals that have been studied. In mammals, the effect is primarily mediated by receptors Y1 and Y5, which seem to contribute to different aspects of feeding behavior in guinea pigs and rats/mice. Interestingly, differences in receptor distribution among mammalian species have been reported. To get a broader perspective on the role of Y5, we describe here studies of guinea pig (Cavia porcellus), a species which due to its phylogenetic position in the mammalian radiation is an interesting complement to previous studies in rat and mouse. Guinea pig brain sections were hybridized with two 35S-labeled oligonucleotides complementary to Y5 mRNA. The highest expression levels of Y5 mRNA were observed in the hippocampus and several hypothalamic and brain stem nuclei implicated in the regulation of feeding, such as the paraventricular, arcuate and ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei. This contrasts with autoradiography studies that detected low Y5-like binding in these areas, a discrepancy observed also in rat and human. Y5 mRNA expression was also seen in the striatum, in great contrast to mouse and rat. Taken together, these data show that Y5 mRNA distribution displays some interesting species differences, but that its expression in feeding centers seems to be essentially conserved among mammals, adding further support for an important role in food intake.