Synthesis of high-specific-radioactivity 4- and 6-[18F]fluorometaraminol-PET tracers for the adrenergic nervous system of the heart

Small Molecule PET Tracers for Transporter Imaging

As the field of PET has expanded and an ever-increasing number and variety of compounds have been radiolabeled as potential in vivo tracers of biochemistry, transporters have become important primary targets or facilitators of radiotracer uptake and distribution. A transporter can be the primary target through the development of a specific high-affinity radioligand: examples are the multiple high-affinity radioligands for the neuronal membrane neurotransmitter or vesicular transporters, used to image nerve terminals in the brain. The goal of a radiotracer might be to study the function of a transporter through the use of a radiolabeled substrate, such as the application of 3-O-[¹¹C]methyl]glucose to measure rates of glucose transport through the blood-brain barrier. In many cases, transporters are required for radiotracer distributions, but the targeted biochemistries might be unrelated: an example is the use of 2-deoxy-2-[¹⁸F]FDG for imaging glucose metabolism, where initial passage of the radiotracer through cell membranes requires the action of specific glucose transporters. Finally, there are transporters such as p-glycoprotein that function to extrude small molecules from tissues, and can effectively work against successful uptake of radiotracers. The diversity of structures and functions of transporters, their importance in human health and disease, and their role in therapeutic drug disposition suggest that in vivo imaging of transporter location and function will continue to be a point of emphasis in PET radiopharmaceutical development. In this review, the variety of transporters and their importance for in vivo PET radiotracer development and application are discussed. Transporters have thus joined the other major protein targets such as G-protein coupled receptors, ligand-gated ion channels, enzymes, and aggregated proteins as of high interest for understanding human health and disease.

Synthesis and bioevaluation of [(18)F]4-fluoro-m-hydroxyphenethylguanidine ([(18)F]4F-MHPG): a novel radiotracer for quantitative PET studies of cardiac sympathetic innervation

A new cardiac sympathetic nerve imaging agent, [(18)F]4-fluoro-m-hydroxyphenethylguanidine ([(18)F]4F-MHPG), was synthesized and evaluated. The radiosynthetic intermediate [(18)F]4-fluoro-m-tyramine ([(18)F]4F-MTA) was prepared and then sequentially reacted with cyanogen bromide and NH4Br/NH4OH to afford [(18)F]4F-MHPG. Initial bioevaluations of [(18)F]4F-MHPG (biodistribution studies in rats and kinetic studies in the isolated rat heart) were similar to results previously reported for the carbon-11 labeled analog [(11)C]4F-MHPG. The neuronal uptake rate of [(18)F]4F-MHPG into the isolated rat heart was 0.68ml/min/g wet and its retention time in sympathetic neurons was very long (T1/2 >13h). A PET imaging study in a nonhuman primate with [(18)F]4F-MHPG provided high quality images of the heart, with heart-to-blood ratios at 80-90min after injection of 5-to-1. These initial kinetic and imaging studies of [(18)F]4F-MHPG suggest that this radiotracer may allow for more accurate quantification of regional cardiac sympathetic nerve density than is currently possible with existing neuronal imaging agents.

Novel potent BRAF inhibitors: toward 1 nM compounds through optimization of the central phenyl ring

BRAF, a serine/threonine specific protein kinase that is part of the MAPK pathway and acts as a downstream effector of RAS, is a potential therapeutic target in melanoma. We have developed a series of small-molecule BRAF inhibitors based on a 1H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine-2(3H)-one scaffold (ring A) as the hinge binding moiety and a number of substituted phenyl rings C that interact with the allosteric binding site. The introduction of various groups on the central phenyl ring B combined with appropriate A- and C-ring modifications afford very potent compounds that inhibit (V600E)BRAF kinase activity in vitro and oncogenic BRAF signaling in melanoma cells. Substitution on the central phenyl ring of a 3-fluoro, a naphthyl, or a 3-thiomethyl group improves activity to yield compounds with an IC(50) of 1 nM for purified (V600E)BRAF and nanomolar activity in cells.

Ferulic acid and benzothiazole dimer derivatives with high binding affinity to β-amyloid fibrils

New ferulic acid and benzothiazole dimer derivatives were synthesized and evaluated by in vitro competition assay using [(125)I]TZDM for their specific binding affinities to Abeta fibrils. In particular, 4a showed the most excellent binding affinity (K(i)=0.53 nM), compared to PIB (K(i)=0.77 nM), for benzothiazole binding sites of Abeta(1-42) fibrils. This result suggests a possibility of a potential AD diagnostic probe for detection of Abeta fibrils.

Nucleophilic18F-Fluorination of Heteroaromatic Iodonium Salts with No-Carrier-Added [18F]Fluoride

Diaryliodonium salts containing the 2-thienyl group as an example of an electron-rich heteroaromatic moiety proved to be very potent precursors for the nucleophilic, regioselective no-carrier-added (nca) radiofluorination of various arenes. It even allowed the nucleophilic introduction of nca [18F]fluoride into electron-rich arene compounds in one step. The influences of the substitution pattern, of counteranions, and of different reaction conditions were studied. Effects of counterions could be explained by the influence of solvent on ion pair separation of precursor salts. Different aryl(2-thienyl)iodonium salts were used as precursors, where the homoaromatic group systematically varied from bearing electron-deficient to electron-rich substituents. Relative rates of exchange kinetics correlated linearly with Hammett constants of the appropriate substituents confirming a nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction of high reactivity and low selectivity.

Fluorine-18 labeling of small molecules: the use of 18F-labeled aryl fluorides derived from no-carrier-added [18F]fluoride as labeling precursors

The favourable long-half life, the ease of production and the low energy of the emitted positron make 18F an ideal radionuclide for PET imaging. Radiochemistry of 18F basically relies on two distinctive types of reactions: nucleophilic and electrophilic reactions. All syntheses of 18F-labeled radiotracers are based on either [18F]fluoride ion or [18F]fluorine gas as simple primary labeling precursors which are obtained directly from the cyclotron. They can be applied either directly to the radiosynthesis or they can be transformed into more complex labeling precursors enabling the multi-step build-up of organic tracer molecules. The topic of this review is a survey on the application of several 18F-labeled aryl fluorides as building blocks derived from no-carrier-added (n.c.a.) [18F] fluoride to build up small monomeric PET radiotracers at high specific radioactivity by multi-step synthesis procedures.

Fluorine-18 labeling methods: Features and possibilities of basic reactions

Many experimental and established tracers make fluorine- 18 the most widely used radionuclide in positron emission tomography with an increasing demand for new or simpler 18F-labeling procedures. After a brief summary of the advantages of the nuclide and its major production routes, the basic features of the principal radiofluorination methods are described. These comprise direct electrophilic and nucleophilic processes, or in case of more complex molecules, the labeling of synthons and prosthetic groups for indirect built-up syntheses. While addressing the progress of no-carrier-added 18F-labeling procedures, the following chapters on more specific topics in this book are introduced. Emphasis is given to radiofluorination of arenes--especially with iodonium leaving groups. Examples of radiopharmaceutical syntheses are mentioned in order to illustrate strategic concepts of labeling with fluorine-18.

Non-invasive molecular imaging and reporter genes

Molecular-genetic imaging in living organisms has become a new field with the exceptional growth over the past 5 years. Modern imaging is based on three technologies: nuclear, magnetic resonance and optical imaging. Most current molecular-genetic imaging strategies are “indirect,” coupling a “reporter gene” with a complimentary “reporter probe.” The reporter transgene usually encodes for an enzyme, receptor or transporter that selectively interacts with a radiolabeled probe and results in accumulation of radioactivity in the transduced cell. In addition, reporter systems based on the expression of fluorescence or bioluminescence proteins are becoming more widely applied in small animal imaging. This review begins with a description of Positron Emission Tomography (PET)-based imaging genes and their complimentary radiolabeled probes that we think will be the first to enter clinical trials. Then we describe other imaging genes, mostly for optical imaging, which have been developed by investigators working with a variety of disease models in mice. Such optical reporters are unlikely to enter the clinic, at least not in the near-term. Reporter gene constructs can be driven by constitutive promoter elements and used to monitor gene therapy vectors and the efficacy of gene targeting and transduction, as well as to monitor adoptive cell-based therapies. Inducible promoters can be used as “sensors” to monitor endogenous cell processes, including specific intracellular molecular-genetic events and the activity of signaling pathways, by regulating the magnitude of reporter gene expression.

Assessment of cardiac sympathetic neuronal function using PET imaging

The autonomic nervous system plays a key role for regulation of cardiac performance, and the importance of alterations of innervation in the pathophysiology of various heart diseases has been increasingly emphasized. Nuclear imaging techniques have been established that allow for global and regional investigation of the myocardial nervous system. The guanethidine analog iodine 123 metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) has been introduced for scintigraphic mapping of presynaptic sympathetic innervation and is available today for imaging on a broad clinical basis. Not much later than MIBG, positron emission tomography (PET) has also been established for characterizing the cardiac autonomic nervous system. Although PET is methodologically demanding and less widely available, it provides substantial advantages. High spatial and temporal resolution along with routinely available attenuation correction allows for detailed definition of tracer kinetics and makes noninvasive absolute quantification a reality. Furthermore, a series of different radiolabeled catecholamines, catecholamine analogs, and receptor ligands are available. Those are often more physiologic than MIBG and well understood with regard to their tracer physiologic properties. PET imaging of sympathetic neuronal function has been successfully applied to gain mechanistic insights into myocardial biology and pathology. Available tracers allow dissection of processes of presynaptic and postsynaptic innervation contributing to cardiovascular disease. This review summarizes characteristics of currently available PET tracers for cardiac neuroimaging along with the major findings derived from their application in health and disease.

A novel electrophilic synthesis and evaluation of medium specific radioactivity (1R,2S)-4-[18F]fluorometaraminol, a tracer for the assessment of cardiac sympathetic nerve integrity with PET

(1R,2S)-4-[18F]fluorometaraminol (4-[18F]FMR), a tracer for cardiac sympathetic innervation, was synthesized by electrophilic aromatic substitution. A trimethylstannyl precursor, protected with tert-butoxycarbonyl protecting groups, was radiofluorinated with high specific radioactivity [18F]F2. Specific radioactivity of 4-[18F]FMR, in average 11.8 +/-3.3 GBq/micromol, was improved 40-800-fold in comparison to the previous electrophilic fluorinations. The biodistribution of 4-[18F]FMR in rat was in accordance with the known distribution of sympathetic innervation. 4-[18F]FMR showed no metabolic degradation in left ventricle of rat heart, where the uptake was high, rapid and specific.

The first Suzuki cross-couplings of aryltrimethylammonium salts

The first Suzuki cross-coupling reaction of aryltrimethylammonium triflates based on the use of an IMes.Ni(0) catalyst system is described. A wide range of electron-withdrawing and electron-donating substituents are tolerated on both the aryltrimethylammonium triflate and the boronic acid components of this reaction. In addition to arylboronic acids, the scope of the reaction is extended to encompass both boronate esters and alkenylboranes. This methodology constitutes a novel, mild method to activate anilines for metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions.

High specific radioactivity (1R,2S)-4-[(18)F]fluorometaraminol: a PET radiotracer for mapping sympathetic nerves of the heart

The radiolabeled catecholamine analogue (1R, 2S)-6-[(18)F]fluorometaraminol (6-[(18)F]FMR) is a substrate for the neuronal norepinephrine transporter. It has been used as a positron emission tomography (PET) ligand to map sympathetic nerves in dog heart. 6-[(18)F]FMR could be only synthesized with low specific radioactivity, which precluded its use in human subjects. We have recently prepared (1R,2S)-4-[(18)F]fluorometaraminol (4-[(18)F]FMR), a new fluoro-analogue of metaraminol, with high specific radioactivity (56-106 GBq/micromol). In the present study, we demonstrate in rats that 4-[(18)F]FMR possesses similar affinity toward myocardial norepinephrine transport mechanisms as 6-[(18)F]FMR. When compared with control animals, an 80% and 76% reduction in myocardial uptake was observed in animals pretreated with desipramine (an inhibitor of the neuronal norepinephrine transporter) and with reserpine (a blocker of the vesicular storage of monoamines), respectively. The entire radioactivity in rat myocardium represented unmetabolized parent tracer as determined by high performance liquid chromatography analysis of tissue extracts. In dogs, myocardial kinetics of 4-[(18)F]FMR were assessed using PET. A rapid and high uptake was observed, followed by prolonged cardiac retention. A heart-to-lung ratio of 15 was reached 10 min after injection of the radiotracer. Pretreatment with desipramine reduced the heart half-life of 4-[(18)F]FMR by 90% compared with control. Moreover, an infusion of tyramine caused a rapid decline of radioactivity in the heart. This demonstrates that 4-[(18)F]FMR specifically visualizes sympathetic neurons in dog heart. High specific radioactivity 4-[(18)F]FMR is a promising alternative to 6-[(18)F]FMR for myocardial neuronal mapping with PET in humans.