Preclinical evaluation of a brain penetrant PARP PET imaging probe in rat glioblastoma and nonhuman primates.

PURPOSE: Currently, there are multiple active clinical trials involving poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors in the treatment of glioblastoma. The noninvasive quantification of baseline PARP expression using positron emission tomography (PET) may provide prognostic information and lead to more precise treatment. Due to the lack of brain-penetrant PARP imaging agents, the reliable and accurate in vivo quantification of PARP in the brain remains elusive. Herein, we report the synthesis of a brain-penetrant PARP PET tracer, (R)-2-(2-methyl-1-(methyl-11C)pyrrolidin-2-yl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazole-4-carboxamide ([11C]PyBic), and its preclinical evaluations in a syngeneic RG2 rat glioblastoma model and healthy nonhuman primates. METHODS: We synthesized [11C]PyBic using veliparib as the labeling precursor, performed dynamic PET scans on RG2 tumor-bearing rats and calculated the distribution volume ratio (DVR) using simplified reference region method 2 (SRTM2) with the contralateral nontumor brain region as the reference region. We performed biodistribution studies, western blot, and immunostaining studies to validate the in vivo PET quantification results. We characterized the brain kinetics and binding specificity of [11C]PyBic in nonhuman primates on FOCUS220 scanner and calculated the volume of distribution (VT), nondisplaceable volume of distribution (VND), and nondisplaceable binding potential (BPND) in selected brain regions. RESULTS: [11C]PyBic was synthesized efficiently in one step, with greater than 97% radiochemical and chemical purity and molar activity of 148 ± 85 MBq/nmol (n = 6). [11C]PyBic demonstrated PARP-specific binding in RG2 tumors, with 74% of tracer binding in tumors blocked by preinjected veliparib (i.v., 5 mg/kg). The in vivo PET imaging results were corroborated by ex vivo biodistribution, PARP1 immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting data. Furthermore, brain penetration of [11C]PyBic was confirmed by quantitative monkey brain PET, which showed high specific uptake (BPND > 3) and low nonspecific uptake (VND < 3 mL/cm3) in the monkey brain. CONCLUSION: [11C]PyBic is the first brain-penetrant PARP PET tracer validated in a rat glioblastoma model and healthy nonhuman primates. The brain kinetics of [11C]PyBic are suitable for noninvasive quantification of available PARP binding in the brain, which posits [11C]PyBic to have broad applications in oncology and neuroimaging.

Pd-Boron-Catalyzed One Carbon Isomerization of Olefins: Water Assisted Process at Room Temperature.

A palladium-boronate/borane-system -catalyzed isomerization of olefins has been uncovered. An efficient catalytic combination of [Pd(OAc)2]3-boronate-PCy3-enabled olefin isomerization at 80 °C has been investigated. Addition of water to the reaction showed a remarkable improvement and the isomerization occurred at ambient temperature. These catalytic systems function efficiently for the isomerization of functionalized as well as unfunctionalized olefins. The catalytic conditions demonstrate the involvement of both nonhydride and metal-hydride medium and can be switchable with water as an additive.

Generation of Hydrogen from Water: A Pd-Catalyzed Reduction of Water Using Diboron Reagent at Ambient Conditions.

Production of hydrogen from renewable sources, particularly from water, is an intensive area of research, which has far-reaching relevance in hydrogen economy. A homogeneous catalytic method is presented for producing clean hydrogen gas from water, in a reaction of water with a diboron compound as the reductant, under ambient reaction conditions. The Pd-catalytic system is stable in water and displays excellent recyclability. Hydroxy analogues such as alcohols are compatible with the Pd/B2Pin2 system and generate hydrogen gas efficiently. The B2Pin2-H2O system, in the presence of palladium, is an excellent catalytic system for selective hydrogenation of olefins.

Pd-Catalyzed Hydroborylation of Alkynes: A Ligand Controlled Regioselectivity Switch for the Synthesis of α- or ß-Vinylboronates.

A ligand controlled selective hydroborylation of alkynes to α- or ß-vinylboronates has been developed using a Pd catalyst. The high α-selectivity displayed by this reaction can be switched to furnish ß-vinylboronates by altering the ligand from a trialkylphosphine to N-heterocyclic carbene. A variety of terminal alkynes are shown to furnish the corresponding α- or ß-vinylboronates in good to excellent selectivity and yield. The mechanistic studies suggest that the solvent is the proton source and bromobenzene functions as an important additive in driving this reaction forward.

Regioselective synthesis of vinyl halides, vinyl sulfones, and alkynes: a tandem intermolecular nucleophilic and electrophilic vinylation of tosylhydrazones.

A diazo species is trapped in an intermolecular fashion by two independent ion species in tandem at the carbene center to install an electrophile and a nucleophile on the same carbon. This metal-free concept, which is unprecedented, has been illustrated by regioselective synthesis of a variety of vinyl halides, vinyl sulfones, and alkyne derivatives.

Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of hydrazones: regioselective synthesis of highly branched dienes.

The regioselective formation of highly branched dienes is a challenging task. Design and exploration of alternative working models to achieve such a regioselectivity to accomplish highly branched dienes is considered to be a historical advancement of Heck reaction to construct branched dienes. On the basis of the utility of carbene transfer reactions, in the reaction of hydrazones with Pd(II) under oxidative conditions, we envisioned obtaining a Pd-bis-carbene complex with α-hydrogens, which can lead to branched dienes. Herein, we report a novel Pd-catalyzed selective coupling reaction of hydrazones in the presence of t-BuOLi and benzoquinone to form the corresponding branched dienes. The utility of the Pd catalyst for the cross-coupling reactions for synthesizing branched conjugated dienes is rare. The reaction is very versatile and compatible with a variety of functional groups and is useful in synthesizing heterocyclic molecules. We anticipate that this Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction will open new avenues for synthesizing useful compounds.

Palladium catalyzed coupling of tosylhydrazones with aryl and heteroaryl halides in the absence of external ligands: synthesis of substituted olefins.

Palladium catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of hydrazones with aryl halides in the absence of external ligand is reported. The versatility of this coupling reaction is demonstrated in showcasing the selectivity of coupling reaction in the presence of hydroxyl and amine functional groups. This method allows synthesizing a variety of heterocyclic compounds, which are difficult to access from other traditional methods and are not synthesized by employing similar coupling reactions. Application of the present methodology is validated in tandem reaction of ketones to the corresponding substituted olefins in a single pot experiment.