Mapping aldehydic load in vivo by positron emission tomography with [18F]NA3BF3.

A new radiotracer, [18F]NA3BF3, capable of rapid, stable, and catalyst-free complexation of aldehydes in vivo is reported. [18F]NA3BF3 was shown to bind aldehydes in live subjects using locally administered aldehyde-presenting microparticles, and was then applied to mapping aldehydic load in a mouse model of sepsis. [18F]NA3BF3 may enable the direct investigation of the chemical biology of aldehydes in living subjects, and may open avenues for the adoption of endogenous aldehydic load as an imaging biomarker of inflammatory pathology.