Performance evaluation of a MIP for the MISPE-LC determination of p-[18F]MPPF and a potential metabolite in human plasma.

Within the family of serotonin (5-HT) receptors, the 5-HT1A subtype is particularly interesting as it may be involved in various physiological processes or psychological disorders. The p-[18F]MPPF, a highly selective 5-HT1A antagonist, is used for in vivo studies in human or animal by means of positron emission tomography (PET) [1]. In order to selectively extract p-[18F]MPPF and its main metabolites from plasma, molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was prepared against these compounds by using the p-MPPF as template. For the control of the selectivity, non-imprinted polymer (NIP) was also synthesized without template. The MIP sorbent, packed in disposable extraction cartridges (DECs), was then evaluated as molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) prior to the LC determination. The conditions of extraction were evaluated in order to obtain the highest selective retention of the p-[18F]MPPF and its metabolites on this MIP. The MIP selectivity was exploited in the loading and washing steps by adjusting the pH of plasma samples at a suitable value and by selecting mixtures for the washing step to limit the contribution of non-specific interactions. Other important parameters involved in the conditioning and elution steps were also studied. Finally, a pre-validation was carried out with optimal extraction conditions to demonstrate the performance of this MISPE-LC method as a generic method in the context of evaluation of new MISPE for p-[18F]MPPF and its potential for metabolites extraction from human plasma.

On the use of positron counting for radio-Assay in nuclear pharmaceutical production.

Current techniques for the measurement of radioactivity at various points during PET radiopharmaceutical production and R&D are based on the detection of the annihilation gamma rays from the radionuclide in the labelled compound. The detection systems to measure these gamma rays are usually variations of NaI or CsF scintillation based systems requiring costly and heavy lead shielding to reduce background noise. These detectors inherently suffer from low detection efficiency, high background noise and very poor linearity. They are also unable to provide any reasonably useful position information. A novel positron counting technique is proposed for the radioactivity assay during radiopharmaceutical manufacturing that overcomes these limitations. Detection of positrons instead of gammas offers an unprecedented level of position resolution of the radiation source (down to sub-mm) thanks to the nature of the positron interaction with matter. Counting capability instead of charge integration in the detector brings the sensitivity down to the statistical limits at the same time as offering very high dynamic range and linearity from zero to any arbitrarily high activity. This paper reports on a quantitative comparison between conventional detector systems and the proposed positron counting detector.

Biodistribution and Radiation Dosimetry for the Novel SV2A Radiotracer [(18)F]UCB-H: First-in-Human Study.

PURPOSE: [(18)F]UCB-H is a novel radiotracer with a high affinity for synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A), a protein expressed in synaptic vesicles. SV2A is the binding site of levetiracetam, a "first-in-class" antiepileptic drug with a distinct but still poorly understood mechanism of action. The objective of this study was to determine the biodistribution and radiation dosimetry of [(18)F]UCB-H in a human clinical trial and to establish injection limits according to biomedical research guidelines. Additionally, the clinical radiation dosimetry results were compared to estimations in previously published preclinical data. PROCEDURES: Dynamic whole body positron emission tomography/X-ray computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging was performed over approximately 110 min on five healthy male volunteers after injection of 144.5 ± 7.1 MBq (range, 139.1-156.5 MBq) of [(18)F]UCB-H. Major organs were delineated on CT images, and time-activity curves were obtained from co-registered dynamic PET emission scans. The bladder could only be delineated on PET images. Time-integrated activity coefficients were calculated as area under the curve using trapezoidal numerical integration. Urinary excretion data based on PET activities including voiding was also simulated using the dynamic bladder module of OLINDA/EXM. The radiation dosimetry was calculated using OLINDA/EXM. RESULTS: The effective dose to the OLINDA/EXM 70-kg standard male was 1.54 × 10(-2) ± 6.84 × 10(-4) millisieverts (mSv)/MBq, with urinary bladder wall, gallbladder wall, and the liver receiving the highest absorbed dose. The brain, the tracer's main organ of interest, received an absorbed dose of 1.89 × 10(-2) ± 2.32 × 10(-3) mGy/MBq. CONCLUSIONS: This first human dosimetry study of [(18)F]UCB-H indicated that the tracer shows similar radiation burdens to widely used common clinical tracers. Single injections of at maximum 672 MBq for US practice and 649 MBq for European practice keep radiation exposure below recommended limits. Recently published preclinical dosimetry data extrapolated from mice provided satisfactory prediction of total body and effective dose but showed significant differences in organ absorbed doses compared to human data.

Hybrid microPET imaging for dosimetric applications in mice: improvement of activity quantification in dynamic microPET imaging for accelerated dosimetry applied to 6-[18 F]fluoro-L-DOPA and 2-[18 F]fluoro-L-tyrosine.

PURPOSE: Dynamic microPET imaging has advantages over traditional organ harvesting, but is prone to quantification errors in small volumes. Hybrid imaging, where microPET activities are cross-calibrated using post scan harvested organs, can improve quantification. Organ harvesting, dynamic imaging and hybrid imaging were applied to determine the human and mouse radiation dosimetry of 6-[18 F]fluoro-L-DOPA and 2-[18 F]fluoro-L-tyrosine and compared. PROCEDURES: Two-hour dynamic microPET imaging was performed with both tracers in four separate mice for 18 F-FDOPA and three mice for 18 F-FTYR. Organ harvesting was performed at 2, 5, 10, 30, 60 and 120 min post tracer injection with n = 5 at each time point for 18 F-FDOPA and n = 3 at each time point for 18 F-FTYR. Human radiation dosimetry projected from animal data was calculated for the three different approaches for each tracer using OLINDA/EXM. S-factors for the MOBY phantom were used to calculate the animal dosimetry. RESULTS: Correlations between dose estimates based on organ harvesting and imaging was improved from r = 0.997 to r = 0.999 for 18 F-FDOPA and from r = 0.985 to r = 0.996 (p < 0.0001 for all) for 18 F-FTYR by using hybrid imaging. CONCLUSION: Hybrid imaging yields comparable results to traditional organ harvesting while partially overcoming the limitations of pure imaging. It is an advantageous technique in terms of number of animals needed and labour involved.

Characterization of 4-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-1-[2'-[N-(2''-pyridinyl)-p-fluorobenzamido]ethyl]piperazine (p-DMPPF) as a new potent 5-HT1A antagonist.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The identification of potent and selective radioligands for the mapping of 5-HT receptors is interesting both for clinical and experimental research. The aim of this study was to compare the potency of a new putative 5-HT(1A) receptor antagonist, p-DMPPF, (4-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-1-[2'-[N-(2''-pyridinyl)-p-fluorobenzamido]ethyl]piperazine) with that of the well-known 5-HT(1A) antagonists, WAY-100635 (N-[2-[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-piperazinyl]-ethyl]-N-(2-pyridinyl) cyclohexanecarboxamide) and its fluorobenzoyl analogue, p-MPPF (4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-[2'-[N-(2''-pyridinyl)-p-fluorobenzamido]ethyl]piperazine). EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Single cell extracellular recordings of dorsal raphe (DR) neurones were performed in rat brain slices. The potency of each compound at antagonizing the effect of the 5-HT(1A) agonist, 8-OH-DPAT [8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)-tetraline], was quantified using the Schild equation. The pharmacological profile of p-DMPPF was defined using competition binding assays. KEY RESULTS: Consistently with a 5-HT(1A) receptor antagonist profile, incubation of slices with an equimolar (10 nM) concentration of each compound markedly reduced the inhibitory effect of 8-OH-DPAT on the firing rate of DR neurones, causing a significant rightward shift in its concentration-response curve. The rank order of potency of the antagonists was WAY-100635>p-DMPPF>or=p-MPPF. The sensitivity of DR neurones to the inhibitory effect of 8-OH-DPAT was found to be heterogeneous. The binding experiments demonstrated that p-DMPPF is highly selective for 5-HT(1A) receptors, with a K(i) value of 7 nM on these receptors. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The potency of the new compound, p-DMPPF, as a 5-HT(1A) antagonist is similar to that of p-MPPF in our electrophysiological assay. Its selectivity towards 5-HT(1A) receptors makes it a good candidate for clinical development.

The potential of the beta-Microprobe, an intracerebral radiosensitive probe, to monitor the [(18)F]MPPF binding in the rat dorsal raphe nucleus.

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the ability of a recently developed beta(+)-range sensitive intracerebral probe (beta-Microprobe) to measure the binding kinetics of [(18)F]MPPF, a well-documented 5-HT(1A) serotoninergic receptor ligand, in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) of the anaesthetised rat. This midbrain nucleus presents a high concentration of 5-HT(1A) receptors known to be implicated in the effects of antidepressants. The difficulty confronting this study lay in the fact that the dimensions of the DRN are smaller than the detection volume of the beta-Microprobe. In the first part of the study, we studied the feasibility of this measurement from a theoretical point of view by autoradiography and a Monte Carlo simulation. We determined the optimal beta-Microprobe location close to the DRN and verified that this configuration allowed accurate determination of [(18)F]MPPF specific binding in the nucleus. In the second part of our study, we measured the in vivo time-concentration curves of [(18)F]MPPF binding in the DRN in comparison with the cerebellum. The specificity of [(18)F]MPPF binding in the DRN was confirmed by its displacement after non-labelled 5-HT(1A)antagonist injection (MPPF or WAY-100635). Moreover, we verified the feasibility of using beta-Microprobe monitoring and simultaneous validation by microdialysis to study the effect of an increase in extracellular serotonin, induced by fenfluramine injection, on [(18)F]MPPF binding in the DRN. Our theoretical simulations, confirmed by our experimental results, demonstrate the ability of this new device to monitor in vivo the binding of [(18)F]MPPF in the DRN of anaesthetised rodents.

[(18)F]p-MPPF: aA radiolabeled antagonist for the study of 5-HT(1A) receptors with PET.

This paper summarizes the present status of the researches conducted with [(18)F]4-(2'-methoxyphenyl)-1-[2'-[N-(2"-pyridinyl)-p-fluorobenzamido ]ethyl]-piperazine known as [(18)F]p-MPPF, a new 5-HT(1A) antagonist for the study of the serotonergic neurotransmission with positron emission tomography (PET). This includes chemistry, radiochemistry, animal data (rats, cats, and monkeys) with autoradiography and PET, human data with PET, toxicity, and metabolism.

Tissue distribution, autoradiography, and metabolism of 4-(2'-methoxyphenyl)-1-[2' -[N-2"-pyridinyl)-p-[(18)F]fluorobenzamido]ethyl]piperazine (p-[(18)F]MPPF), a new serotonin 5-HT(1A) antagonist for positron emission tomography: An In vivo study in rats.

The in vivo behavior of 4-(2'-methoxyphenyl)-1-[2'-[N-(2"-pyridinyl)-p-[(18)F]fluorobenzamido ]ethyl]-piperazine (p-[(18)F]MPPF), a new serotonin 5-HT(1A) antagonist, was studied in awake, freely moving rats. Biodistribution studies showed that the carbon-fluorine bond was stable in vivo, that this compound was able to cross the blood-brain barrier, and that a general diffusion equilibrium could account for the availability of the tracer. The great quantity of highly polar metabolites found in plasma did not contribute to the small amounts of metabolites found in hippocampus, frontal cortex, and cerebellum. Exvivo p-[(18)F]MPPF and in vitro 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-[(3)H]propylamino)tetralin autoradiography were compared both qualitatively and quantitatively. Qualitative evaluation proved that the same brain regions were labeled and that the p-[(18)F]MPPF labeling is (a) in total agreement with the known distribution of 5-HT(1A) receptors in rats and (b) characterized by very low nonspecific binding. Quantitative comparison demonstrated that the in vivo labeling pattern obtained with p-[(18)F]MPPF cannot be explained by differences in regional blood flow, capillary density, or permeability. The 5-HT(1A) specificity of p-[(18)F]MPPF and binding reversibility were confirmed in vivo with displacement experiments. Thus, this compound can be used to evaluate parameters characterizing 5-HT(1A) binding sites in the brain.

Biochemical and autoradiographic measurements of brain serotonin synthesis rate in the freely moving rat: a reexamination of the alpha-methyl-L-tryptophan method.

Biochemical approaches were used in freely moving rats to determine, under steady-state conditions, the brain/arterial plasma partition coefficients of L-tryptophan and alpha-[3H]methyl-L-tryptophan, from which the lumped constant for the alpha-methyl-L-tryptophan method of estimating the rate of brain serotonin synthesis is calculated. The lumped constants were significantly different in the various structures examined: 0.149 +/- 0.003 in the raphe dorsalis, 0.103 +/- 0.002 in the raphe centralis, 0.087 +/- 0.003 in the reticular formation, and 0.62 +/- 0.08 in the pineal gland. From these data we proposed a two-compartment model to calculate the rate of serotonin synthesis by quantitative autoradiography using a three-time point experiment. Rates of synthesis for the raphe dorsalis and the reticular formation (620 +/- 57 and 80 +/- 35 pmol/g of tissue/min, respectively) were similar to those measured simultaneously by biochemical means, but rates were 50% higher for the raphe centralis (568 +/- 90 vs. 381 +/- 31 pmol/g of tissue/min). The lack of dynamic equilibrium of the tracer between plasma and tissue pools may explain the discrepancy between the two methods. Our findings did not confirm previous data, indicating that the application of the autoradiographic method to measure the rate of brain serotonin synthesis using alpha-methyl-L-tryptophan as tracer has limitations.

High-yield radiosynthesis and preliminary in vivo evaluation of p-[18F]MPPF, a fluoro analog of WAY-100635.

No-carrier-added 4-[18F]fluoro-N-[2-[1-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1 piperazinyl]ethyl-N-2-pyridinyl-benzamide (p-[18F]MPPF) was synthesized by nucleophilic substitution of the corresponding nitro compound in the presence of Kryptofix 222 and K2CO3 by microwave heating (3 min, 500 W) using a remotely controlled radiosynthesis. Baseline separation of p-[18F]MPPF from the nitro derivative was performed on a semipreparative HPLC C18 column. After Sep-Pak formulation, the radiopharmaceutical was obtained with a radiochemical yield of 25% (EOS) in about 70 min. Specific radioactivity averaged between 1-5 Ci/micromol EOS. Labelling of the ortho and meta derivatives was also attempted. Brain uptake of p-[18F]MPPF was studied with PET on fluothane-anesthetized cats. Following intravenous injection of p-[18F]MPPF, high accumulation of radioactivity was observed in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. Low levels of radioactivity were observed in cerebellum. At 30 min, the mean hippocampus/cerebellum and cortex/cerebellum ratios were 5 and 3.8, respectively. The accumulation of the tracer was blocked by prior administration of reference WAY-100635, demonstrating the specificity of the ligand.

Serotonin 5HT2 receptor imaging in the human brain using positron emission tomography and a new radioligand, [18F]altanserin: results in young normal controls.

Changes in serotonin-2 receptors have been demonstrated in brain autopsy material from patients with various neurodegenerative and affective disorders. It would be desirable to locate a ligand for the study of these receptors in vivo with positron emission tomography (PET). Altanserin is a 4-benzoylpiperidine derivative with a high affinity and selectivity for S2 receptors in vitro. Dynamic PET studies were carried out in nine normal volunteers with high-specific activity (376-1,680 mCi/mumol) [18F]altanserin. Arterial blood samples were obtained and the plasma time-activity curves were corrected for the presence of labeled metabolites. Thirty minutes after injection, selective retention of the radioligand was observed in cortical areas, while the cerebellum, caudate, and thalamus had low radioactivity levels. Specific binding reached a plateau between 30 and 65 min postinjection at 1.8% of the injected dose/L of brain and then decreased, indicating the reversibility of the binding. The total/nonspecific binding ratio reached 2.6 for times between 50 and 70 min postinjection. The graphical analysis proposed by Logan et al. allowed us to estimate the binding potential (Bmax/KD). Pretreatment with ketanserin was given to three volunteers and brain activity remained uniformly low. An additional study in one volunteer showed that [18F]altanserin can be displaced from the receptors by large doses of ketanserin. At the end of the study, unchanged altanserin was 57% of the total plasma activity. These results suggest that [18F]altanserin is selective for S2 receptors in vivo as it is in vitro. They indicate that [18F]altanserin is suitable for imaging and quantifying S2 receptors with PET in humans.

Enantioselective synthesis of 6-[fluorine-18]-fluoro-L-dopa from no-carrier-added fluorine-18-fluoride.

METHODS: A trimethylammonium veratraldehyde triflate was synthesized and used as a precursor for the asymmetric synthesis of 6-[18F]fluoro-L-dopa. RESULTS: Its nucleophilic fluorination with 18F-fluoride produced by the 18O(p,n)18F nuclear reaction on enriched 18O-water led to the corresponding no-carrier-added [18F]fluoroveratraldehyde (45 +/- 5% EOB). Diiodosilane was used to prepare the corresponding [18F]fluorobenzyl iodide (36.5 +/- 5.3% EOB). Akylation of (S)-1-tert-boc-2-tert-butyl-3-methyl-4-imidazolidinone with this electrophilic agent, hydrolysis and purification by preparative high-pressure liquid chromatography made 6-[18F]fluoro-L-dopa ready for human injection, in a 23% +/- 6% decay-corrected radiochemical yield. The enantiomeric purity and the specific activity were above 96% and 1 Ci/mumole respectively. CONCLUSION: Through this procedure, starting from 250 mCi of 18F-fluoride, multimillicurie amounts (32 +/- 8.5 mCi) of no-carrier-added 6-[18F]fluoro-L-dopa are now available at the end of synthesis (90 min) with a good radiochemical purity (more than 98%).

Synthesis and biodistribution of [5-131I]iodotropapride: a potential D2 dopamine receptor imaging agent.

[5-131I]Iodotropapride is a benzamidic compound which displays high affinity and selectivity for dopaminergic receptors. It was prepared from the corresponding brominated compound by a nucleophilic substitution with [131I]iodine (t1/2 = 8.02 days, E gamma = 364 keV) based on the use of Cu(I) as catalyst and high specific activity of [131I]NaI. After i.v. injection in rats the tracer crosses the blood-brain barrier (0.42 +/- 0.06% of injected dose in the total brain) and demonstrates a high affinity binding to the striatum. The striatum-to-cerebellum ratio increases with time and reaches values of 9 and 22 at 30 and 120 min after injection, respectively. This specific uptake in the striatum is saturable and can be blocked by pretreatment with different D2 antagonists. When labeled with 123I (t1/2 = 13 h, E1 = 159 keV), the corresponding [123I]iodotropapride may be useful for the investigation of the D2 dopamine receptors in humans with single photon emission computer tomography (SPECT).

2- and 4-[18F]fluorotropapride, two specific D2 receptor ligands for positron emission tomography: N.C.A. syntheses and animal studies.

Tropapride, (exo)-2,3-dimethoxy-N-[8-(phenylmethyl)-8- azabicyclo[3.2.1]oct-3-yl]benzamide hydrochloride, has been labeled with fluorine-18 at the 2- and 4-positions of its benzylic group. Two synthetic pathways were investigated: the first one required the alkylation of the norbenzyl precursor with 2- or 4-[18F]fluorobenzyl bromide (radiochemical yield of 5% EOB, 180 min); the second method consisted of a reductive amination of norbenzyl tropapride with 2- or 4-[18F]fluorobenzaldehyde (20% EOB, 110 min). In both cases, the specific activity was found to be greater than 1 Ci/mumol (EOS). Animal studies in rats showed the percentage of the injected dose localizing in the whole brain to be 0.6 +/- 0.09 and 0.2 +/- 0.03 at 2 h post injection for the para- and the ortho-[18F]fluoro analogs of tropapride respectively. Cerebral biodistribution studies showed at 4 h a striatum uptake of 5 +/- 0.7% of the injected dose per gram of striatum for the para derivative with a low fixation into the frontal cortex and the cerebellum (% ID/g FC < 0.4 and % ID/g Cb < 0.3). The selectivity of 4-[18F]fluorotropapride for D2 dopaminergic sites was demonstrated through blocking experiments with ketanserin, spiperone and halopemide. The saturability was confirmed by the use of variable specific activities. These preliminary results showed that 4-[18F]fluorotropapride can be considered as a potent radiopharmaceutical for the study of the dopaminergic system with PET.

Fluorine-18-altanserin: a radioligand for the study of serotonin receptors with PET: radiolabeling and in vivo biologic behavior in rats.

No-carrier-added [18F]altanserin was synthesized by nucleophilic substitution of the corresponding nitro compound with [18F]fluoride in the presence of kryptofix 222 and K2CO3. After purification by preparative HPLC, [18F]altanserin was produced in less than 2 hr with a radiochemical yield of 10% (EOS) and a specific activity of 0.8-1.3 Ci/mumol. In rats, the tracer localized rapidly in the whole brain (0.5% ID/g organ) with a high binding to the frontal cortex. The frontal cortex/cerebellum ratio increased with time and reached a plateau of 11 at 2 hr postinjection. This uptake in S2 receptor regions was saturable and could be blocked by pretreatment with various S2 antagonists. This radiopharmaceutical appears to be more selective for S2 receptor sites than other ligands available today and allows the study of S2 receptors under in vivo conditions.

The synthesis of no-carrier-added DL-4-[18F]fluorodeprenyl via the nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction.

No-carrier-added DL-alpha-methyl-beta-4-[18F]fluorophenyl-N-methyl-N-propynylethylamin e (DL-4-[18F]fluorodeprenyl) was synthesized via the following 3-step procedure: (1) nucleophilic aromatic substitution by [18F]fluoride on 4-nitrobenzaldehyde to produce 4-[18F]fluorobenzaldehyde (yield 65%); (2) the reaction of 4-[18F]fluorobenzaldehyde with (1-chloro-1-(trimethylsilyl)ethyl)lithium followed by hydrolysis to give 4-[18F]fluorophenylacetone (yield 50%); and (3) reductive alkylation of 4-[18F]fluorophenylacetone with N-methyl-propynylamine in the presence of NaBH3CN (yield 35%) followed by HPLC purification to give a racemic mixture of 4-[18F]fluorodeprenyl. The overall yield was 11% (EOB corrected), the synthesis time was 90 min and the specific activity greater than 0.57 Ci/mumol (end of synthesis). This synthesis approach, the conversion of an aromatic aldehyde to a homologous methyl ketone, extends the flexibility of the nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction by applying it to the synthesis of radiotracers which do not bear electron-withdrawing activating groups on the aromatic ring. The tissue distribution of DL-4-[18F]fluorodeprenyl in mice at 1, 10 and 60 min was also measured and showed that metabolic defluorination was not significant. Clearance of radioactivity from brain after injection of DL-4-[18F]fluorodeprenyl was more rapid than that previously observed for [11C]L-deprenyl.

Synthesis of (R)-(-)- and (S)-(+)-4-fluorodeprenyl and (R)-(-)- and (S)-(+)-[N-11C-methyl]-4-fluorodeprenyl and positron emission tomography studies in baboon brain.

(R)-(-)- and (S)-(+)-alpha-methyl-beta-4-(fluorophenyl)-N-methyl-N- propynylethylamine [R)-(-)- and (S)-(+)-4-fluorodeprenyl) were synthesized via the reaction of 4-fluorobenzaldehyde with nitroethane followed by reduction with lithium aluminum hydride to produce racemic 4-fluoroamphetamine, which was resolved by recrystallization with L- or D-N-acetylleucine to yield (R)-(-)-4-fluoroamphetamine or (S)-(+)-4-fluoroamphetamine in greater than 96% enantiomeric excesses and in yields of 42 and 39%, respectively. Alkylation with propargyl bromide gave (R)-(-)- or (S)-(+)-4-fluoronordeprenyl which was reductively methylated (Borch conditions) to produce (R)-(-)- or (S)-(+)-4-fluorodeprenyl. Alkylation of (R)-(-)- or (S)-(+)-4-fluoronordeprenyl with carbon-11 labeled methyl iodide gave (R)-(-)- or (S)-(+)-[N-11C-methyl]-4-fluorodeprenyl in a radiochemical yield of 30-40%. Comparative PET studies of the two labeled enantiomers in baboons showed a significantly lower retention of radioactivity in the striatum for the (S)-(+) enantiomer relative to the (R)-(-) enantiomer.

Synthesis and tissue distribution of four Se-labeled tertiary amines, potential brain pH imaging agents.

Four new tertiary amines: bis(3-N,N-dimethyl aminopropyl)selenide (PROMOSE), bis(3-N-(morpholino)propyl)selenide, N-methyl-selenomorpholine and N-phenyl-selenomorpholine structurally related to MOSE proposed by Kung and Blau, have been labeled through a radiochemical procedure suitable for both 75Se and 73Se. The radiochemical yields of the carrier added synthesis ranged between 64 and 85% for the four 75Se labelings and was 64% EOB time corrected for [73Se]PROMOSE. The chemical and radiochemical purities were higher than 99% after chromatographic purifications. The n-octanol/phosphate buffer partition coefficients (P) were measured at various pH (6.5-8) for each compound and the tissue distributions of PROMOSE in rats were also carried out. The experimental results showed a good correlation between the P = f(pH) function and the in vivo behaviour of the considered compound. PROMOSE was selected for further investigations as a brain pH indicator.

Chemical processing for production of no-carrier-added selenium-73 from germanium and arsenic targets and synthesis of L-2-amino-4-([73Se]methylseleno) butyric acid (L-[73Se]selenomethionine).

The Ge(4He, xn) and 75As(p, 3n) reactions were compared as the best potential routes for routine production of selenium-73 (73Se) for medical applications. With 26 MeV alpha particles, available with compact cyclotrons, the first reaction required an enriched 70Ge target of sodium metagermanate to give a production yield of 1 mCi/microAh (0.037 GBq/microAh) in a 105 mg/cm2 target. With 55 MeV protons the As(p, 3n) reaction on natural arsenic yielded 20 mCi/microAh (0.74 GBq/microAh) in a 685 mg/cm2 target. A simple method was developed and optimized for both targets in order to isolate and purify the no-carrier-added selenium in the elemental form with a radiochemical yield greater than 75% in less than 90 min. An automated radiochemical processing unit has been designed for the routine production of 100-150 mCi (3.7-5.5 GBq) batches of carrier-free 73Se ready for radiopharmaceutical labeling. 30 mCi (1.11 GBq) (EOS) of L-2-amino-4-([73Se]methylseleno) butyric acid (L-[73Se]selenomethionine) ready for injection with a specific activity of 5 Ci/mmol (185 GBq/mmol) (EOS) were obtained through a fast chemical synthesis. Radiation absorbed dose estimates for L-[73Se]selenomethionine have been determined. A value of 0.70 rem/mCi (0.19 mSv/MBq) administered was calculated for the risk from irradiation in man. The first human PET investigation with [73Se]selenomethionine showed a very good delineation between liver and pancreas.

Fast chemical synthesis of [75Se]L-selenomethionine.

A fast chemical synthesis of high specific activity [75Se]L-selenomethionine (10 Ci/mmol--370 GBq/mmol) is described with a view to 73Se labeling and PET studies. The overall radiochemical yield of the preparation is better than 80%. The purification method uses commercially available reverse phase HPLC columns and 9% NaCl as mobile phase. The final labeled compound is obtained in less than 3 h and the chemical, radiochemical and optical purities of the L-isomer are higher than 99.0%.