Fluorine for hydroxy substitution in biogenic amines: asymmetric synthesis and biological evaluation of fluorine-18-labeled beta-fluorophenylalkylamines as model systems.

This work explores the biomimetic potential of [18F]fluorine for hydroxy substitution in beta-phenethanolamines as a possible strategy for developing radiotracers for in vivo imaging. Stereospecific syntheses of the two model compounds (1R,2S)-1-[18F]fluoro-1-deoxyephedrine ([18F]FDE) and (1S,2S)-1-[18F]fluoro-1-deoxypseudoephedrine ([18F]FDP) were achieved in high radiochemical yield (62%, decay corrected) and high specific activity (> 2500 Ci/mmol) by reaction of [18F]fluoride ion with the appropriate chiral cyclic sulfamidate precursor. Both tracers exhibited good stability toward metabolic defluorination in vivo. High, homogeneous brain uptake (approximately 8% of injected dose) was observed after intravenous injection in mice similar to that reported for the structurally related analog [11C]methamphetamine. The 1R,2S isomer (FDE) showed a 3-fold higher concentration of radioactivity in whole brain as compared to the 1S,2S isomer (FDP). These results suggest possible employment of this strategy for chiral radiolabeling of biologically important phenethanolamines and catecholamines.