Tomoyuki Imai, Yuta Tanaka, Kento Kannaka, Hiroyuki Suzuki, Masayuki Fujinaga, Hiroshi Mizuma, Ming-Rong Zhang, Makoto Higuchi, Tetsuo Narumi, Tomoya Uehara

Molecular imaging of tau protein accumulation plays a vital role in elucidating the pathology and enabling early diagnosis of tauopathies, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). [18F]PM-PBB3 is a promising tau positron emission computed tomography (PET) tracer with high selectivity and affinity for tau lesions in both AD and non-AD tauopathies. However, its clinical application is hindered by poor photostability owing to rapid photoisomerization. In this study, we synthesized a novel derivative of PM-PBB3, Me-PM-PBB3, by introducing a methyl group at the γ-position of the former to improve photostability. Compared to PM-PBB3, Me-PM-PBB3 showed a blue-shifted absorption maximum and lower molar extinction coefficient, resulting in a more than 100-fold increase in resistance to photodegradation. Fluorescence staining of AD brain sections demonstrated that Me-PM-PBB3 bound to neurofibrillary tangles. PET imaging using rTg4510 mice, a tauopathy model, revealed that [18F]Me-PM-PBB3 accumulates in the cortex and hippocampus, indicating its effectiveness as a tau PET tracer. However, increased non-specific binding in white matter was also observed, suggesting that structural modifications may affect its in vivo kinetics. Overall, this study presents a novel chemical approach to enhance the photostability of tau PET tracers and suggests Me-PM-PBB3 as a promising candidate for future applications in the diagnosis of tau-related neurodegenerative diseases.