BODIPY-Based Molecular Probe for Imaging of Cerebral β-Amyloid Plaques

We designed and synthesized a BODIPY-based probe (BAP-1) for the imaging of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain. In binding experiments in vitro, BAP-1 showed excellent affinity for synthetic A beta aggregates. beta-Amyloid plaques in Tg2576 mouse brain were clearly visualized with BAP-1. In addition, the labeling of beta-amyloid plaques was demonstrated in vivo in Tg2576 mice. These results suggest BAP-1 to be a useful fluorescent probe for the optical imaging of cerebral beta-amyloid plaques in patients with Alzheimer's disease.