A Macrophage-Specific PET Tracer for Grading Acute Liver Injury
Abstract
Accurate assessment of acute liver injury (ALI) is hindered by a lack of reliable biomarkers. Addressing this, we developed a PET tracer, [ 68 Ga]Ga-VUIIS1008, designed to specifically target the translocator protein (TSPO) on activated macrophages during ALI progression. The probe enabled noninvasive visualization and quantification of hepatic macrophages in preclinical models. In healthy mice, its low molecular weight facilitated rapid hepatobiliary clearance, yielding a minimal liver background (%ID/g liver = 4.95 ± 0.49 at 0.5 h). Conversely, injured livers exhibited a pathology-driven shift to TSPO-mediated retention that correlated strongly with histopathological severity ( R 2 = 0.8155, p
Fields of Study & Subjects
Liver physiology and pathology
Immune Response and Inflammation
Cell Adhesion Molecules Research
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Volume
- 69
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 3138–3147
- Publication date
- 13 January 2026
- Language
- EN