Background Recent studies reported on high uptake of the PSMA ligands [ 68 Ga]HBED-CC ( 68 Ga-PSMA) and 18 F-DCFPyL in cerebral gliomas. This study explores the regional uptake and cellular targets of 68 Ga-PSMA and 18 F-DCFPyL in three different rat glioma models. Methods F98, 9L or U87 rat gliomas were implanted into the brains of 38 rats. After 13 days of tumor growth, 68 Ga-PSMA (n=21) or 18 F-DCFPyL (n=17) were injected intravenously and animals were sacrificed 40 min later. Five animals for each tracer and tumor model were additionally investigated by micro-PET at 20-40 min postinjection. Cryosections of the tumor bearing brains were analyzed by ex vivo autoradiography and immunofluorescence staining for blood vessels, microglia, astrocytes and presence of PSMA. Blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability was tested by coinjection of Evans blue dye (EBD). 68 Ga-PSMA uptake after restoration of BBB integrity by treatment with dexamethasone (Dex) was evaluated in four animals with U87 gliomas. Competition experiments using the PSMA-receptor inhibitor 2-(Phosphonomethyl)pentane-1,5-dioic acid (PMPA) were performed for both tracers in two animals each. Results Autoradiography demonstrated a strong 68 Ga-PSMA and 18 F-DCFPyL binding in the peritumoral area and moderate binding in the center of the tumors. PMPA administration led to complete inhibition of 68 Ga-PSMA and 18 F-DCFPyL binding in the peritumoral region. Restoration of BBB by Dex treatment reduced EBD extravasation but 68 Ga-PSMA binding remained unchanged. Expression of activated microglia (CD11b) was low in the intra- and peritumoral area but GFAP staining revealed strong activation of astrocytes in congruency to the tracer binding in the peritumoral area. All tumors were visualized in micro PET, showing a lower tumor/brain contrast with 68 Ga-PSMA than with 18 F-DCFPyL. Conclusions High uptake of 68 Ga-PSMA and 18 F-DCFPyL in the peritumoral area of all glioma models is presumably caused by activated astrocytes. This may represent a limitation for the clinical application of PSMA ligands in gliomas.