Sexually dimorphic murine brain uptake of the 18 kDa translocator protein PET radiotracer [18F]LW223

Agne Knyzeliene, Catriona Wimberley, Mark G Macaskill, Carlos J Alcaide-Corral, Timaeus E F Morgan, Martyn C Henry, Christophe Lucatelli, Sally L Pimlott, Andrew Sutherland, Adriana A S Tavares*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

The 18 kDa translocator protein is a well-known biomarker of neuroinflammation, but also plays a role in homeostasis. PET with 18 kDa translocator protein radiotracers [11C]PBR28 in humans and [18F]GE180 in mice has demonstrated sex-dependent uptake patterns in the healthy brain, suggesting sex-dependent 18 kDa translocator protein expression, although humans and mice had differing results. This study aimed to assess whether the 18 kDa translocator protein PET radiotracer [18F]LW223 exhibited sexually dimorphic uptake in healthy murine brain and peripheral organs. Male and female C57Bl6/J mice (13.6 ± 5.4 weeks, 26.8 ± 5.4 g, mean ± SD) underwent 2 h PET scanning post-administration of [18F]LW223 (6.7 ± 3.6 MBq). Volume of interest and parametric analyses were performed using standard uptake values (90–120 min). Statistical differences were assessed by unpaired t-test or two-way ANOVA with Šidak’s test (alpha = 0.05). The uptake of [18F]LW223 was significantly higher across multiple regions of the male mouse brain, with the most pronounced difference detected in hypothalamus (P < 0.0001). Males also exhibited significantly higher [18F]LW223 uptake in the heart when compared to females (P = 0.0107). Data support previous findings on sexually dimorphic 18 kDa translocator protein radiotracer uptake patterns in mice and highlight the need to conduct sex-controlled comparisons in 18 kDa translocator protein PET imaging studies.
Original languageEnglish
JournalBrain Communications
Volume6
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 16 Jan 2024

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • TSPO
  • PET
  • [18F]LW223
  • sex differences

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