Sulfo-click chemistry with ¹⁸F-labeled thio acids

Area of Science:

• Radiochemistry
• Organic Synthesis
• Medicinal Chemistry

Background:

• Fluorine-18 (18F) radiolabeling is crucial for developing new diagnostic imaging agents.
• Click chemistry offers efficient and specific methods for radiolabeling biomolecules.
• Development of novel radiolabeling strategies is essential for advancing molecular imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the first application of sulfo-click chemistry using 18F-labeled thio acids.
• To establish a rapid and efficient method for synthesizing 18F-labeled N-acylsulfonamides and peptides.

Main Methods:

• A one-pot, three-component sulfo-click reaction was employed.
• The reaction utilized 18F-labeled thio acids under mild conditions.
• Purification and characterization of the resulting radiolabeled compounds were performed.

Main Results:

• The reaction proceeded rapidly within 30 minutes.
• High radiochemical conversions (38-99%) were achieved for 18F-labeled small molecule N-acylsulfonamides.
• Radiolabeled peptides were obtained in 20-25% isolated and decay-corrected radiochemical yields.

Conclusions:

• Sulfo-click chemistry provides an effective new tool for 18F-radiolabeling.
• The developed method is efficient, rapid, and versatile for synthesizing various 18F-labeled molecules.
• This approach holds promise for the development of novel PET imaging agents.