Improved Stability and Practicality for Synthesis of 4-Borono-2-[18F]fluoro-l-phenylalanine by Combination of [18O]O2 Single-Use and [18F]CH3COOF Labeling Agents

Purpose4-Borono-2-[¹⁸F]fluoro-l-phenylalanine ([¹⁸F]FBPA) synthesized with [¹⁸F]F₂, produced using the ¹⁸O(p, n)¹⁸F reaction, has been reported for increasing radioactivity. However, a dedicated system and complex procedure is required to reuse the costly [¹⁸O]O₂ gas; also, the use of [¹⁸F]F₂ as a labeling agent reduces the labeling rate and radiochemical purity. We developed a stable and practical method for [¹⁸F]FBPA synthesis by combining [¹⁸F]F₂, produced using a [¹⁸O]O₂ single-use system, and a [¹⁸F]CH₃COOF labeling agent.MethodsThe produced [¹⁸F]F₂ was optimized, and then [¹⁸F]FBPA was synthesized. For passivation of the target box, 0.5% F₂ was pre-irradiated in argon. Gaseous products were discarded; the target box was filled with [¹⁸O]O₂ gas, and then irradiated (first irradiation). Then, the [¹⁸O]O₂ gas was discarded, 0.05–0.08% F₂ in argon was fed into the target box, and it was again irradiated (second irradiation). The [¹⁸F]F₂ obtained after this was passed through a CH₃COONa column, converting it into the [¹⁸F]CH₃COOF labeling agent, which was then used for [¹⁸F]FBPA synthesis.ResultsThe mean amount of as-obtained [¹⁸F]F₂ was 55.0 ± 3.3 GBq and that of as-obtained [¹⁸F]CH₃COOF was 21.6 ± 1.4 GBq after the bombardment. The radioactivity and the radiochemical yield based on [¹⁸F]F₂ of [¹⁸F]FBPA were 4.72 ± 0.34 GBq and 12.2 ± 0.1%, respectively. The radiochemical purity and molar activity were 99.3 ± 0.1% and 231 ± 22 GBq/mmol, respectively.ConclusionWe developed a method for [¹⁸F]FBPA production, which is more stable and practical compared with the method using [¹⁸O]O₂ gas-recycling and [¹⁸F]F₂ labeling agent.