Molecular PET Imaging of Cyclophosphamide Induced Apoptosis with 18F-ML-8

In this paper, a novel small-molecular apoptotic PET imaging probe, 18F-ML-8 with a malonate motif structure, is presented and discussed. After study, the small tracer that belongs to a member of ApoSense family is proved to be capable of imaging merely apoptotic regions in the CTX treated tumor-bearing mice. The experimental result is further confirmed by in vitro cell binding assays and TUNEL staining assay. As a result, 18F-ML-8 could be used for noninvasive visualization of apoptosis induced by antitumor chemotherapy.