Transition metal mediated carbonylation with [11C]CO has proven a useful method to label a wide array of compounds in the carbonyl position. However, the general use in radiopharmaceutical synthesis has been hampered by the low solubility of carbon monoxide in most solvents and the resulting challenge to confine [11C]CO in low volume reaction vessels. This paper introduces a method that utilises xenon to transfer pre‐concentrated [11C]CO to a sealed disposable glass vial containing carbonylation reagents. The high solubility of xenon in the organic solvent made it possible to confine the [11C]CO without utilising a pressure autoclave or chemical trapping additives. The utility of the method in 11C‐carbonylation was investigated by conducting three model reactions, where [11C‐carbonyl]N‐benzylbenzamide, [11C‐carbonyl]triclocarban and [11C‐carbonyl]methyl nicotinate were afforded in decay corrected radiochemical yields of 71 ± 6%, 42 ± 15% and 29 ± 10%, respectively. These promising results and the straight forward technical implementation suggest that 11C‐cabonylation can become a viable mean to provide labelled carbonyl functionalities in routine radiopharmaceutical synthesis. Compounds labelled with short lived positron emitters are used in Positron Emission Tomography, a molecular imaging technology with applications in clinical diagnostics, clinical research and basic biomedical research.
The P2X7 receptor plays a significant role in microglial activation, and as a potential drug target, the P2X7 receptor is also an interesting target in positron emission tomography. The current study aimed at the development and evaluation of a potent tracer targeting the P2X7 receptor, to which end four adamantanyl benzamide analogues with high affinity for the human P2X7 receptor were labelled with carbon-11. All four analogues could be obtained in excellent radiochemical yield and high radiochemical purity and molar activity, and all analogues entered the rat brain. [11C]SMW139 showed the highest metabolic stability in rat plasma, and showed high binding to the hP2X7 receptor in vivo in a hP2X7 receptor overexpressing rat model. Although no significant difference in binding of [11C]SMW139 was observed between post mortem brain tissue of Alzheimer’s disease patients and that of healthy controls in in vitro autoradiography experiments, [11C]SMW139 could be a promising tracer for P2X7 receptor imaging using positron emission tomography, due to high receptor binding in vivo in the hP2X7 receptor overexpressing rat model. However, further investigation of both P2X7 receptor expression and binding of [11C]SMW139 in other neurological diseases involving microglial activation is warranted.
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