A single column, rapid quality control procedure for 6-[18F]fluoro-L-dopa and 6-[18F]fluorodopamine PET imaging...

Area of Science:

• Radiochemistry
• Nuclear Medicine
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• 6-[18F]Fluoro-L-dopa and 6-[18F]fluorodopamine are crucial positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agents.
• These agents are used for visualizing cerebral dopaminergic centers and cardiac sympathetic innervation.
• Ensuring the purity of these agents before human administration is critical for safety and diagnostic accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and describe a method for determining the chemical and radiochemical purity of 6-[18F]Fluoro-L-dopa and 6-[18F]fluorodopamine.
• To validate the method's ability to resolve key related compounds, including isomers and dihydroxyphenylalanine.

Main Methods:

• High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet (u.v.) and radioactivity detection.
• Utilized a single high-speed C-18 column with gradient elution.
• The developed procedure allows for rapid analysis within 10 minutes.

Main Results:

• The HPLC method successfully resolved 6-[18F]Fluoro-L-dopa, 6-[18F]fluorodopamine, their isomers, and dihydroxyphenylalanine.
• The procedure provides accurate determination of chemical purity, radiochemical purity, and specific activity.
• Analysis time was reduced to under 10 minutes.

Conclusions:

• A rapid and effective HPLC method has been established for purity assessment of 6-[18F]Fluoro-L-dopa and 6-[18F]fluorodopamine.
• This method is suitable for quality control before human injection of these important PET imaging agents.
• The technique ensures the safety and reliability of dopaminergic and cardiac sympathetic imaging.