Specific radioligands for in vivo visualization and quantification of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase 2A (PDE2A) by positron emission tomography (PET) are increasingly gaining interest in brain research. Herein we describe the synthesis, the 18F-labelling as well as the biological evaluation of our latest PDE2A (radio-)ligand 9-(5-Butoxy-2-fluorophenyl)-2-(2-([18F])fluoroethoxy)-7-methylimidazo[5,1-c]pyrido[2,3-e][1,2,4]triazine (([18F])TA5). It is the most potent PDE2A ligand out of our series of imidazopyridotriazine-based derivatives so far (IC50 hPDE2A = 3.0 nM; IC50 hPDE10A > 1000 nM). Radiolabelling was performed in a one-step procedure starting from the corresponding tosylate precursor. In vitro autoradiography on rat and pig brain slices displayed a homogenous and non-specific binding of the radioligand. Investigation of stability in vivo by reversed-phase HPLC (RP-HPLC) and micellar liquid chromatography (MLC) analyses of plasma and brain samples obtained from mice revealed a high fraction of one main radiometabolite. Hence, we concluded that [18F]TA5 is not appropriate for molecular imaging of PDE2A neither in vitro nor in vivo. Our ongoing work is focusing on further structurally modified compounds with enhanced metabolic stability.

Phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10A) is a key enzyme of intracellular signal transduction which is involved in the regulation of neurotransmission. The molecular imaging of PDE10A by PET is expected to allow a better understanding of physiological and pathological processes related to PDE10A expression and function in the brain. The aim of this study was to develop a new 18F-labeled PDE10A ligand based on a 6,7-dimethoxy-4-pyrrolidinylquinazoline and to evaluate its properties in biodistribution studies. Nucleophilic substitution of the 7-tosyloxy-analogue led to the 7-[18F]fluoroethoxy-derivative [18F]IV with radiochemical yields of 25% ± 9% (n = 9), high radiochemical purity of ≥99% and specific activities of 110–1,100 GBq/μmol. [18F]IV showed moderate PDE10A affinity (KD,PDE10A = 14 nM) and high metabolic stability in the brain of female CD-1 mice, wherein the radioligand entered rapidly with a peak uptake of 2.3% ID/g in striatum at 5 min p.i. However, ex vivo autoradiographic and in vivo blocking studies revealed no target specific accumulation and demonstrated [18F]IV to be inapplicable for imaging PDE10A with PET.

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Phosphodiesterase 2A (PDE2A) is highly expressed in distinct areas of the brain, which are known to be related to neuropsychiatric diseases. The development of suitable PDE2A tracers for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) would permit the in vivo imaging of the PDE2A and evaluation of disease-mediated alterations of its expression. A series of novel fluorinated PDE2A inhibitors on the basis of a Benzoimidazotriazine (BIT) scaffold was prepared leading to a prospective inhibitor for further development of a PDE2A PET imaging agent. BIT derivatives (BIT1–9) were obtained by a seven-step synthesis route, and their inhibitory potency towards PDE2A and selectivity over other PDEs were evaluated. BIT1 demonstrated much higher inhibition than other BIT derivatives (82.9% inhibition of PDE2A at 10 nM). BIT1 displayed an IC50 for PDE2A of 3.33 nM with 16-fold selectivity over PDE10A. This finding revealed that a derivative bearing both a 2-fluoro-pyridin-4-yl and 2-chloro-5-methoxy-phenyl unit at the 8- and 1-position, respectively, appeared to be the most potent inhibitor. In vitro studies of BIT1 using mouse liver microsomes (MLM) disclosed BIT1 as a suitable ligand for 18F-labeling. Nevertheless, future in vivo metabolism studies are required.

For the development of new antiepileptics the kainate receptors GluR6 and GluR5 are important targets. Based on the anticonvulsant effects of chinazolines and thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidines that are known from the literature, thieno[2,3-d][1.3]oxazines were synthesized and studied for their inhibitory properties at GluR6 and GluR5 receptors. The strongest inhibitor activity was observed with 5-methyl-6-phenyl-thieno[2,3-d][1.3]oxazines with C1 or C3-substituents in position 2 (3b-f). The 2-trihalide-methyl-substituted compounds 3c and 3d were the most active inhibitors at the GluR5-receptor (IC50=23.4 micromol, 16 microl). The 2-isopropyl-substituted compound 3f displayed the strongest activity at the GluR6-receptor (IC(50)=8.7 micromol). A number of thieno[2,3-d][1.3]thiazines and thieno[2,3-d] pyrimidines that were synthesized from the thieno[2,3][1.3]oxazines did not show any activity.