Monitoring DHA and AA Brain Uptake in ApoE4 Mice with 18F‐Fluorinated PET Tracers

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are the precursors of various lipid mediators of inflammation. Brain imaging techniques for monitoring the brain’s uptake of PUFAs would not only uncover the effects of risk factors for excessive neuroinflammation associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementia but also direct the development of methods to prevent or treat AD. Radiosynthesized 11C‐docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and 11C‐arachidonic acid (AA) have already been utilized in positron emission tomography (PET) studies in humans [1, 2]. Because 18F has a longer half‐life than 11C, fluorinated PUFA derivatives would be more favorable alternatives for PET studies of brain uptake.