Push–pull benzothiazole derivatives as probes for detecting β-amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s brains

Abstract

We synthesized push–pull benzothiazole derivatives and evaluated their potential as β-amyloid imaging probes. In binding experiments in vitro, the benzothiazoles showed excellent affinity for synthetic Aβ(1-42) aggregates. β-Amyloid plaques in the mouse and human brain were clearly visualized with the benzothiazoles, reflecting the results in vitro. These compounds may be a useful scaffold for the development of novel PET/SPECT and fluorescent tracers for detecting β-amyloid in Alzheimer’s brains.