Automated synthesis of 18F‐labelled analogs of metomidate,vorozole and harmine using commercial platform

Three ¹⁸F‐labelled PET tracers, 2‐[¹⁸F]fluoroethyl 1‐[(1R)‐1‐phenylethyl]‐1H‐imidazole‐5‐carboxylate ([¹⁸F]FETO), 6‐[(S)‐(4‐chlorophenyl)‐(1H)‐1,2,4‐triazol‐1‐yl)methyl]‐1‐(2‐[¹⁸F]fluoroethyl)‐1H‐benzotriazole ([¹⁸F]FVOZ) and 7‐[2‐(2‐[¹⁸F]fluoroethoxy)ethoxy]‐1‐9H‐ β ‐carboline ([¹⁸F]FHAR) were synthesized by a one‐step nucleophilic fluorination using the automated commercial platform TRACERLab FX_FN. The labelled products were obtained with 16–20% isolated decay corrected radiochemical yields after 70–75 min synthesis time. The radiochemical and chemical purities were more than 98% in all cases. The synthesis using commercial platform may make these tracers more accessible for clinical research. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Efficient O‐ and N‐(β‐fluoroethylation)s with NCA [18F]β‐fluoroethyl tosylate under microwave‐enhanced conditions

Reactions of no‐carrier‐added (NCA) [¹⁸F]β‐fluoroethyl tosylate with amine, phenol or carboxylic acid to form the corresponding [¹⁸F]N‐(β‐fluoroethyl)amine, [¹⁸F]β‐fluoroethyl ether or [¹⁸F]β‐fluoroethyl ester, were found to be rapid (2–10 min) and efficient (51–89% conversion) under microwave‐enhanced conditions. These conditions allow reactants to be heated rapidly to 150°C in a low boiling point solvent, such as acetonitrile, and avoid the need to use high boiling point solvents, such as DMSO and DMF, to promote reaction. The microwave‐enhanced reactions gave about 20% greater radiochemical yields than thermal reactions performed at similar temperatures and over similar reaction times. With a bi‐functional molecule, such as DL‐pipecolinic acid, [¹⁸F]β‐fluoroethyl tosylate reacts exclusively with the amino group. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

4‐[18F]fluorophenyl ureas via carbamate‐4‐nitrophenyl esters and 4‐[18F]fluoroaniline

Four different no carrier added (n.c.a.) 4‐[¹⁸F]fluorophenylurea derivatives are synthesized as model compounds via two alternative routes. In both cases carbamate‐4‐nitrophenylesters are used as intermediates. Either n.c.a. 4‐[¹⁸F]fluoroaniline reacts with carbamates of several amines, or the carbamate of n.c.a. 4‐[¹⁸F]fluoroaniline is formed at first and an amine is added subsequently to yield the urea derivative. The choice of the appropriate way of reaction depends on the possibilities of precursor synthesis. The radiochemical yields reach up to 80% after 50 min of synthesis time while no radiochemical by‐products can be determined. These high yields were possible due to an optimized preparation of n.c.a. 4‐[¹⁸F]fluoroaniline with a radiochemical yield of up to 90%. From the various ways of its radiosynthesis, the substitution with n.c.a. [¹⁸F]fluoride on dinitrobenzene is chosen, using phosphorous acid and palladium black for reduction of the second nitro group. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and stability of S‐(2‐[18F]fluoroethyl)‐L‐homocysteine for potential tumour imaging

The F‐18 labelled methionine derivative S‐(2‐[¹⁸F]fluoroethyl)‐L‐homocysteine ([¹⁸F]FEHCys) was prepared by a one‐pot two‐step synthesis via the protected S‐(2‐bromoethyl)‐L‐homocysteine 1 and S‐(2‐chloroethyl)‐L‐homocysteine 2 precursors. The bromoethyl derivative 1 gave higher radiochemical yields (40% at 5 min) at 100°C compared with the chloro‐analogue (22% at 100°C in 30 min). However, [¹⁸F]FEHCys was found to be unstable in aqueous systems being transformed to the corresponding hydroxyl derivative within 20 min. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Automated commercial synthesis system for preparation of O‐(2‐[18F]fluoroethyl)‐L‐tyrosine by direct nucleophilic displacement on a resin column

A slightly modified automated commercial synthesis system for preparation of O‐(2‐[¹⁸F]fluoroethyl)‐l‐tyrosine (FET), an amino acid tracer for tumor imaging with positron emission tomography, is described. Direct nucleophilic fluorination of [¹⁸F]fluoride with 1,2‐di(4‐methylphenylsulfonyloxy)ethane on a quaternary 4‐(4‐methylpiperidinyl)‐pyridinium functionalized polystyrene anion exchange resin gave 1‐[¹⁸F]‐2‐(4‐methylphenylsulfonyloxy)ethane, then [¹⁸F]fluoroalkylation of l‐tyrosine yielded FET. The overall radiochemical yield with no decay correction was about 8–10%, the whole synthesis time was about 52 min, and the radiochemical purity was above 95%. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A first synthesis of 18F‐radiolabeled lapatinib: a potential tracer for positron emission tomographic imaging of ErbB1/ErbB2 tyrosine kinase activity

Fluorine‐18‐labeled lapatinib has been successfully synthesized for the first time by the reaction of a dimethylformamide solution of meta‐[¹⁸F]fluorobenzylbromide with a Boc‐protected lapatinib precursor fragment. The reaction proceeded in the presence of K₂CO₃ at 110 °C for 10 min in a microwave and was followed by Boc‐group deprotection with trifluoroacetic acid. The overall radiochemical yield of the reaction starting from the radiofluorination of the iodonium salt was 8–12% (uncorrected, n = 6) in a 140‐min synthesis time.     

A facile automated synthesis of N‐succinimidyl 4‐[18F]fluorobenzoate ([18F]SFB) for 18F‐labeled cell‐penetrating peptide as PET tracer

A fully automated synthesis of N‐succinimidyl 4‐[¹⁸F]fluorobenzoate ([¹⁸F]SFB) was carried out by a convenient three‐step, one‐pot procedure on the modified TRACERlab FX_FN synthesizer, including [¹⁸F]fluorination of ethyl 4‐(trimethylammonium triflate)benzoate as the precursor, saponification of the ethyl 4‐[¹⁸F]fluorobenzoate with aqueous tetrapropylammonium hydroxide instead of sodium hydroxide, and conversion of 4‐[¹⁸F]fluorobenzoate salt ([¹⁸F]FBA) to [¹⁸F]SFB treated with N,N,N′,N′‐tetramethyl‐O‐(N‐succinimidyl)uranium tetrafluoroborate (TSTU). The purified [¹⁸F]SFB was used for the labeling of Tat membrane‐penetrating peptide (containing the Arg‐Lys‐Lys‐Arg‐Arg‐Arg‐Arg‐Arg‐Arg‐Arg‐Arg‐Pro‐Leu‐Gly‐Leu‐Ala‐Gly‐Glu‐Glu‐Glu‐Glu‐Glu‐Glu‐Glu sequence, [¹⁸F]CPP) through radiofluorination of lysine amino groups. The uncorrected radiochemical yields of [¹⁸F]SFB were as high as 25–35% (based on [¹⁸F]fluoride) (n=10) with a synthesis time of～40 min. [¹⁸F]CPP was produced in an uncorrected radiochemical yields of 10–20% (n=5) within 30 min (based on [¹⁸F]SFB). The radiochemical purities of [¹⁸F]SFB and [¹⁸F]CPP were greater than 95%. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of a phenolic precursor and its efficient O‐[18F]fluoroethylation with purified no‐carrier‐added [18F]2‐fluoroethyl brosylate as the labeling agent

[¹⁸F]2‐Fluoroethyl‐p‐toluenesulfonate also called [¹⁸F]2‐fluoroethyl tosylate has been widely used for labeling radioligands for positron emission tomography (PET). [¹⁸F]2‐Fluoroethyl‐4‐bromobenzenesulfonate, also called [¹⁸F]2‐fluoroethyl brosylate ([¹⁸F]F(CH₂)₂OBs), was used as an alternative radiolabeling agent to prepare [¹⁸F]FEOHOMADAM, a fluoroethoxy derivative of HOMADAM, by O‐fluoroethylating the phenolic precursor. Purified by reverse‐phase HPLC, the no‐carrier‐added [¹⁸F]F(CH₂)₂OBs was obtained in an average radiochemical yield (RCY) of 35%. The reaction of the purified and dried [¹⁸F]F(CH₂)₂OBs with the phenolic precursor was performed by heating in DMF and successfully produced [¹⁸F]FEOHOMADAM, after HPLC purification, in RCY of 21%. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Radiosynthesis of 2‐exo‐(2′‐[18F]Fluoro‐3′‐(4‐fluorophenyl)‐pyridin‐5′‐yl)‐7‐azabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane ([18F]F2PhEP), a potent epibatidine‐based radioligand for nicotinic acetylcholine receptor PET imaging

2‐exo‐(2′‐Fluoro‐3′‐(4‐fluorophenyl)‐pyridin‐5′‐yl)‐7‐azabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane (F₂PhEP), a novel, epibatidine‐based, α4β2‐selective nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist of low toxicity, as well as the corresponding N‐Boc‐protected chloro‐ and bromo derivatives as precursors for labelling with fluorine‐18 were synthesized from 7‐tert‐butoxycarbonyl‐7‐azabicyclo[2.2.1]hept‐2‐ene in 13, 19 and 8% overall yield, respectively. [¹⁸F]F₂PhEP was prepared in 8–9% overall yield (non‐decay‐corrected) using 1 mg of the bromo derivative in the following two‐step radiochemical process: (1) no‐carrier‐added nucleophilic heteroaromatic ortho‐radiofluorination with the activated K[¹⁸F]F‐Kryptofix^®₂₂₂ complex in DMSO using microwave activation at 250 W for 90 s, followed by (2) quantitative TFA‐induced removal of the N‐Boc protective group. Radiochemically pure (>95%) [¹⁸F]F₂PhEP (1.48–1.66 GBq, 74–148 GBq/µmol) was obtained after semi‐preparative HPLC (Symmetry^® C18, eluent aqueous 0.05 M NaH₂PO₄ CH₃CN: 78/22 (v:v)) in 75–80 min starting from an 18.5 GBq aliquot of a cyclotron‐produced [¹⁸F]fluoride production batch. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison of pathways to the versatile synthon of no‐carrier‐added 1‐bromo‐4‐[18F]fluorobenzene

The availability of no‐carrier‐added (n.c.a.) 1‐bromo‐4‐[¹⁸F]fluorobenzene with high radiochemical yields is important for ¹⁸F‐arylation reactions using metallo‐organic 4‐[¹⁸F]fluorophenyl compounds (e.g. of lithium or magnesium) or Pd‐catalyzed coupling. In this study, different methods for the preparation of 1‐bromo‐4‐[¹⁸F]fluorobenzene by nucleophilic aromatic substitution reactions using n.c.a. [¹⁸F]fluoride were examined. Of six pathways compared, symmetrical bis‐(4‐bromphenyl)iodonium bromide proved most useful to achieve the title compound in a direct, one‐step nucleophilic substitution with a radiochemical yield (RCY) of 65% within 10 min. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of an 18F‐labeled cyclin‐dependent kinase‐2 inhibitor

The radiosynthesis of N‐(5‐(((5‐(tert‐butyl)oxazol‐2‐yl)methyl)thio)thiazol‐2‐yl)‐4‐[¹⁸F]fluoro‐benzamide [¹⁸F]2 as a potential radiotracer for molecular imaging of cyclin‐dependent kinase‐2 (CDK‐2) expression in vivo by positron emission tomography is described. Two different synthesis routes were envisaged. The first approach followed direct radiofluorination of respective nitro‐ and trimethylammonium substituted benzamides as labeling precursors with no‐carrier‐added (n.c.a.) [¹⁸F]fluoride. A second synthesis route was based on the acylation reaction of 2‐aminothiazole derivative with labeling agent [¹⁸F]SFB. Direct radiofluorination afforded ¹⁸ F‐labeled CDK‐2 inhibitor in very low yields of 1%–3%, whereas acylation reaction with [¹⁸F]SFB gave ¹⁸ F‐labeled CDK‐2 inhibitor [¹⁸ F]2 in high yields of up to 85% based upon [¹⁸ F]SFB during the optimization experiments. Large scale preparation afforded radiotracer [¹⁸ F]2 in isolated radiochemical yields of 37%–44% (n = 3, decay‐corrected) after HPLC purification within 75 min based upon [¹⁸ F]SFB. This corresponds to a decay‐corrected radiochemical yield of 13%–16% based upon [¹⁸F]fluoride. The radiochemical purity exceeded 95% and the specific activity was determined to be 20 GBq/µmol. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

18F‐Labelled vorozole analogues as PET tracer for aromatase

One‐ and two‐step syntheses for the ¹⁸F‐labelling of 6‐[(S)‐(4‐chlorophenyl)(1H‐1,2,4‐triazol‐1‐yl)methyl]‐1‐(2‐[¹⁸F]fluoroethyl)‐1H‐benzotriazole, [¹⁸F]FVOZ, 1 and 6‐[(S)‐(4‐chlorophenyl)(1H‐1,2,4‐triazol‐1‐yl)methyl]‐1‐[2‐(2‐[¹⁸F]fluoroethoxy)ethyl]‐1H‐benzotriazole, [¹⁸F]FVOO, 2 were developed. In the two‐step synthesis, the nucleophilic fluorination step was performed by reacting (S)‐6‐[(4‐chlorophenyl)‐(1H‐1,2,4‐triazol‐1‐yl)methyl]‐1H‐benzotriazole (VOZ) with either the ¹⁸F‐labelled ethane‐1,2‐diyl bis(4‐methylbenzenesulfonate) or the oxydiethane‐2,1‐diyl bis(4‐methylbenzenesulfonate). The radiochemical yields were in the range of 9–13% after the 110–120 min total syntheses and the specific radioactivities were 175±7 GBq/µmol and 56 GBq/µmol for compounds 1 and 2, respectively. In the one‐step synthesis, the precursor 2‐{6‐[(4‐chlorophenyl)(1H‐1,2,4‐triazol‐1‐yl)methyl]‐1H‐1,2,3‐benzotriazol‐1‐yl}ethyl 4‐methylbenzenesulfonate (7) or 1‐[2‐(2‐bromoethoxy)ethyl]‐6‐[(4‐chlorophenyl)(1H‐1,2,4‐triazol‐1‐yl)methyl]‐1H‐benzotriazole (8) was directly labelled via an ¹⁸F nucleophilic substitution to give the corresponding tracer. The labelled compounds were obtained in 36–99% radiochemical yield after 75‐min syntheses. The specific radioactivities are 100 GBq/µmol for compound 1 and 80 GBq/µmol for compound 2. In vitro autoradiography using frozen rat brains illustrated specific binding in the medial amygdala, the bed nucleus of stria terminalis and the preoptic area, all of which corresponded well to the result of ¹¹C‐labelled vorozole. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Copper‐mediated reduction of 2‐[18F]fluoroethyl azide to 2‐[18F]fluoroethylamine

¹⁸F‐labelled fluoroalkylamines are attractive reagents for the preparation of positron emission tomography tracers containing amine, amide, and N‐heterocyclic moieties. Herein, we report that 2‐[¹⁸F]fluoroethylamine can be obtained from 2‐[¹⁸F]fluoroethyl azide by reduction with elemental copper under acidic conditions. Azide to amine reduction was achieved in near quantitative analytical yields within 30 min by heating a solution of 2‐[¹⁸F]fluoroethyl azide in the presence of copper wire and aqueous trifluoroacetic acid. Subsequent reaction of 2‐[¹⁸F]fluoroethylamine with benzoyl chloride in the presence of triethylamine provided N‐[¹⁸F]fluoroethyl benzamide in 63% decay‐corrected radiochemical yield from 2‐[¹⁸F]fluoroethyl azide. The utility of the Cu(0)/H⁺ azide reduction method was further exemplified by preparation of the potential GABA_A tracer 9H‐β‐carboline N‐2‐[¹⁸F]fluoroethylamide, which was obtained in 46% decay‐corrected radiochemical yield by reaction of 2‐[¹⁸F]fluoroethylamine with the corresponding 9H‐β‐carboline pentafluorophenyl ester. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Substitution‐reduction: an alternative process for the [18F]N‐(2‐fluoroethylation) of anilines

Substitution of a halo atom (chloro or bromo) in easily prepared N‐haloacetyl‐anilines with no‐carrier added (NCA) cyclotron‐produced [¹⁸F]fluoride ion (¹⁸F, t_1/2= 109.8 min; β⁺=96.9%), followed by reduction with borane–tetrahydrofuran (BH₃–THF), provides an alternative route to NCA [¹⁸F]N‐(2‐fluoroethyl)‐anilines. This two‐step and one‐pot process is rapid (～50 min) and moderately high yielding (～40% decay‐corrected radiochemical yield (RCY) overall). In the nucleophilic substitution reaction, 18‐crown‐6 is preferred to Kryptofix^® 222 as complexing agent for the solubilization of the counter‐ion (K⁺), derived from an added metal salt, in acetonitrile. Weakly basic potassium bicarbonate is preferred as the added metal salt. Inclusion of a small amount of water, equating to 4–5 molar equivalents relative to 18‐crown‐6, base or precursor (held in equimolar ratio), is beneficial in preventing the adsorption of radioactivity onto the wall of the glass reaction vessel and for achieving high RCY in the nucleophilic substitution reaction. BH₃–THF is effective for the rapid reduction of the generated [¹⁸F]N‐fluoroacetyl‐aniline to the [¹⁸F]N‐(2‐fluoroethyl)‐aniline. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A general synthesis of 2′‐deoxy‐2′‐[18F]fluoro‐1‐β‐D‐arabinofuranosyluracil and its 5‐substituted nucleosides

Several 2′‐deoxy‐2′‐[¹⁸F]fluoro‐1‐β‐D‐arabinofuranosyluracil derivatives have been synthesized. Coupling of 1‐bromo‐2‐deoxy‐2‐[¹⁸F]fluoro‐3,5‐di‐O‐benzoyl‐α‐D‐arabinofuranose 2 with protected uracil derivatives 3a–e followed by hydrolysis and high‐performance liquid chromatography purification produced the radiolabeled nucleosides 4a–e in 15–30% yield (d. c.), >99% radiochemical purity and 55.5–103.6 GBq/µmol specific activities. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Novel synthesis of [18F]‐fluorobenzene and pyridinecarbohydrazide‐folates as potential PET radiopharmaceuticals

In an attempt to visualize folate receptors that over‐express on many cancers, [¹⁸F]‐fluorobenzene and pyridine carbohydrazide‐folates were synthesized using two different synthetic approaches starting from nucleophilic displacement reactions on ethyl‐trimethylammonium‐benzoate and pyridine carboxylate precursors. The intermediates ethyl [¹⁸F]‐fluorinated benzene and pyridine esters were reacted with hydrazine to produce the [¹⁸F]‐fluorobenzene and pyridine carbohydrazides followed by coupling with NHS‐folate 11 in the first approach. Whereas hydrazide‐folate 5 was reacted with 2,5‐dioxoazolidinyl [¹⁸F]‐fluorobenzenecarboxylate in the second approach. Based on starting [¹⁸F]‐fluoride, radiochemical yields and synthesis times were found to be around 80% (45 min) and 35% (80 min) for the first and the second approaches, respectively. The first synthetic approach holds considerable promise as a rapid and simple method for the radiofluorination of folic acid with high radiochemical yield and short time. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Radiosynthesis of 4‐[18F]fluoromethyl‐L‐phenylalanine and [18F]FET via a same strategy and automated synthesis module

Currently there is still a need for more potent amino acid analogues as tumour imaging agents for peripheral tumour imaging with PET as it was recently reported that the success of O‐(2′‐[¹⁸F]fluoroethyl)‐L ‐tyrosine ([¹⁸F]FET) is limited to brain, head and neck tumours. As the earlier described 2‐Amino‐3‐(2‐[¹⁸F]fluoromethyl‐phenyl)‐propionic acid (2‐[¹⁸F]FMP) suffered from intramolecular‐catalysed defluorination, we synthesized 2‐Amino‐3‐(4‐[¹⁸F]fluoromethyl‐phenyl)‐propionic acid (4‐[¹⁸F]FMP) as an alternative for tumour imaging with PET. Radiosynthesis of 4‐[¹⁸F]FMP, based on Br for [¹⁸F] aliphatic nucleophilic exchange, was performed with a customized modular Scintomics automatic synthesis hotbox^three system in a high overall yield of 30% and with a radiochemical purity of \gt 99%. 4‐[¹⁸F]FMP was found to be stable in its radiopharmaceutical formulation, even at high radioactivity concentrations. Additionally, for a comparative study, [¹⁸F]FET was synthesized using the same setup in 40% overall yield, with a radiochemical purity \gt 99%. The described automated radiosynthesis allows the production of two different amino acid analogues with minor alternations to the parameter settings of the automated system, rendering this unit versatile for both research and clinical practice. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Chemoenzymatic n.c.a synthesis of the coenzyme UDP‐2‐deoxy‐2‐[18F]fluoro‐α‐D‐glucopyranose as substrate of glycosyltransferases

The development of ¹⁸F‐labelling methods adopted to proteins and bioactive peptides is of great interest in radiopharmaceutical sciences. In order to provide ¹⁸F‐labelled sugars as a polar prosthetic group for an enzymatic ¹⁸F‐labelling procedure, an appropriate nucleotide activated sugar is needed. Here, we present the radiosynthesis of n.c.a. UDP‐2‐deoxy‐2‐[¹⁸F]fluoro‐α‐D‐glucopyranose (UDP‐[¹⁸F]FDG) as a substrate for glycosyltransferases. The MacDonald synthesis of [¹⁸F]FDG‐1‐phosphate was successfully combined with an enzymatic activation to obtain UDP‐[¹⁸F]FDG directly in an aqueous medium located in the void volume of a solid phase cartridge. The radiochemical yield of UDP‐[¹⁸F]FDG was 20% (based on [¹⁸F]fluoride) after a total synthesis time of 110 min. Thus, an intermediate was provided for the enzymatic transfer of [¹⁸F]FDG using UDP‐[¹⁸F]FDG as glycosyl donor making use of a suitable glycosyltransferase. This would represent a highly selective and mild ¹⁸F‐labelling method for glycosylated biomolecules. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An improved radiosynthesis of O‐(2‐[18F]fluoroethyl)‐O‐(p‐nitrophenyl)methylphosphonate: A first‐in‐class cholinesterase PET tracer

O‐(2‐Fluoroethyl)‐O‐(p‐nitrophenyl) methylphosphonate 1 is an organophosphate cholinesterase inhibitor that creates a phosphonyl‐serine covalent adduct at the enzyme active site blocking cholinesterase activity in vivo . The corresponding radiolabeled O‐(2‐[¹⁸F]fluoroethyl)‐O‐(p‐nitrophenyl) methylphosphonate, [ ¹⁸ F]1 , has been previously prepared and found to be an excellent positron emission tomography imaging tracer for assessment of cholinesterases in live brain, peripheral tissues, and blood. However, the previously reported [ ¹⁸ F]1 tracer synthesis was slow even with microwave acceleration, required high‐performance liquid chromatography separation of the tracer from impurities, and gave less optimal radiochemical yields. In this paper, we report a new synthetic approach to circumvent these shortcomings that is reliant on the facile reactivity of bis‐(O,O‐p‐nitrophenyl) methylphosphonate, 2 , with 2‐fluoroethanol in the presence of DBU. The cold synthesis was successfully translated to provide a more robust radiosynthesis. Using this new strategy, the desired tracer, [ ¹⁸ F]1 , was obtained in a non‐decay–corrected radiochemical yield of 8 ± 2% (n = 7) in >99% radiochemical and >95% chemical purity with a specific activity of 3174 ± 345 Ci/mmol (EOS). This new facile radiosynthesis routinely affords highly pure quantities of [ ¹⁸ F]1 , which will further enable tracer development of OP cholinesterase inhibitors and their evaluation in vivo .     

Synthesis and radiosynthesis of N5‐[18F]fluoroethyl‐Pirenzepine and its metabolite N5‐[18F]fluoroethyl‐LS 75

The well established M₁ selective muscarinergic antagonist Pirenzepine 11‐[2‐(4‐methyl‐piperazin‐1‐yl)‐acetyl]‐5,11‐dihydro‐benzo[e]pyrido[3,2‐b][1,4]diazepin‐6‐one (1) exhibits an unusual behaviour in vivo, which cannot be explained with M₁ antagonism exclusively. One of the aspects discussed is a specific interaction with poly ADP‐ribose polymerase (PARP‐1). 1 undergoes metabolism to form LS 75 5,11‐dihydro‐benzo[e]pyrido[3,2‐b][1,4]diazepin‐6‐one (2). In order to study deviations in Pirenzepine efficacy from pure M₁ binding in vivo using PET, appropriate positron emitter labelled analogues of 1 and 2 were synthesised. Non‐radioactive reference compounds 3 and 4 were tested for PARP‐1 inhibition. The n‐octanol–water partition coefficients of compounds 1, 2, 3 and 4 at pH 7.4 (logD_7.4) were determined. Both, 3 and 4 were labelled with ¹⁸F via 2‐[¹⁸F]fluoroalkylation in position 5 of the benzodiazepinone moiety to obtain N⁵‐[¹⁸F]fluoroethyl Pirenzepine [¹⁸F]‐3 and N⁵‐[¹⁸F]fluoroethyl LS 75 [¹⁸F]‐4. Radiotracers [¹⁸F]‐3 and [¹⁸F]‐4 were obtained in radiochemical yields of 15±4 % and 30±5% after 120 and 110 min, respectively. Metabolism of both compounds was investigated in vitro in human and rat plasma, respectively. Compound 3 did not show activity as an inhibitor of PARP‐1. Contrary, 4 displays moderate PARP‐1 inhibition potency. The new radiotracer [¹⁸F]‐4 can be applied for molecular imaging using autoradiography and PET. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.