Identification of new molecular targets for PET imaging of the microglial anti-inflammatory activation state

Microglia, the resident immune cells of the brain, can have both damaging and protective roles in neurological diseases. This study aimed to find new markers to image the protective, anti-inflammatory state of microglia using PET scans. Researchers identified P2RY12 as a promising marker because its expression increases in microglia exposed to anti-inflammatory signals and changes during the recovery phase of stroke. A new PET tracer targeting P2RY12 was developed and tested. The tracer showed increased binding in brain tissue exposed to anti-inflammatory stimuli and decreased binding in stroke-affected brain tissue.

• 1
  P2RY12 expression increases in murine and human microglia following exposure to anti-inflammatory stimuli.
• 2
  P2RY12 expression is modulated in the reparative phase of experimental and clinical stroke.
• 3
  A novel carbon-11 labeled tracer targeting P2RY12 ([11C]5) shows increased binding in brain sections of mice treated with IL4.