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Microwave-assisted One-pot Synthesis of N-succinimidyl-4-[18F]fluorobenzoate [18F]SFB
Published on: June 28, 2011
Translocator protein ligands based on N-methyl-(quinolin-4-yl)oxypropanamides with properties suitable for PET
Chad Brouwer1, Kimberly J Jenko1, Sami S Zoghbi1
1Molecular Imaging Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Building 10, Room B3 C346A, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States.
Abstract:
Modifications to an N-methyl-(quinolin-4-yl)oxypropanamide scaffold were explored to discover leads for developing new radioligands for PET imaging of brain TSPO (translocator protein), a biomarker of neuroinflammation. Whereas contraction of the quinolinyl portion of the scaffold or cyclization of the tertiary amido group abolished high TSPO affinity, insertion of an extra nitrogen atom into the 2-arylquinolinyl portion was effective in retaining sub-nanomolar affinity for rat TSPO, while also decreasing lipophilicity to within the moderate range deemed preferable for a PET radioligand. Replacement of a phenyl group on the amido nitrogen with an isopropyl group was similarly effective. Among others, compound 20 (N-methyl-N-phenyl-2-[2-(pyridin-2-yl)-1,8-naphthyridin-4-yloxy]propanamide) appears especially appealing for PET radioligand development, based on high selectivity and high affinity (Ki = 0.5 nM) for rat TSPO, moderate lipophilicity (logD = 2.48), and demonstrated amenability to labeling with carbon-11.

