title: Three-step, "one-pot" radiosynthesis of 6-fluoro-3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine by isotopic exchange.
abstract: The (18)F-labeled aromatic amino acid 6-fluoro-3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine (6-(18)F-fluoro-L-DOPA) is widely used as a radiopharmaceutical in neurologic and oncologic PET. In this study, a novel approach to the preparation of carrier-added (CA) 6-(18)F-fluoro-L-DOPA in 3 radiosynthesis steps was developed and evaluated; in this approach, direct nucleophilic (18)F fluorination of a protected amino acid derivative was used. The method currently used for the routine preparation of 6-(18)F-fluoro-L-DOPA by electrophilic labeling is limited to the production of small amounts of activity at high costs. Alternative syntheses based on the advantage of large-scale production of nucleophilic (18)F-fluoride, however, either have resulted in insufficient enantiomeric purity or are difficult to automate because of the complexity of the necessary multiple steps.
  
  
  METHODS
  An isotopic exchange reaction on the precursor (2S,5S)-tert-butyl-5-(4-benzyloxy-2-fluoro-5-formylbenzyl)-2-tert-butyl-3-methyl-4-oxoimidazolidine-1-carboxylate was used. The formyl group served as the activating group in the (18)F-for-(19)F exchange with tetrabutylammonium bicarbonate for anion activation in N,N-dimethylformamide. The intermediate was converted to a hydroxy group by Baeyer-Villiger oxidation with meta-chloroperbenzoic acid. After final deprotection with hydrobromic acid, CA 6-(18)F-fluoro-L-DOPA was isolated by high-performance liquid chromatography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The precursor was obtained by an 11-step organic synthesis. The optimized isotopic (18)F exchange proceeded with a radiochemical yield of about 50%. The complete preparation and isolation of CA 6-(18)F-fluoro-L-DOPA thus far are possible with a radiochemical yield of about 22%, within a synthesis time of 105 min, and at a much higher specific activity than with the electrophilic method. The enantiomeric excess of the desired L-isomer was greater than 96%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The pathway to 6-(18)F-fluoro-L-DOPA by isotopic exchange not only is more efficient but also is suited to automation as a "one-pot" procedure.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Neurowissenschaften und Medizin, INM-5 Nuklearchemie, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany.
authors.forename: Franziska M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ermert
authors.forename: Heinz H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Coenen
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D004295:Dihydroxyphenylalanine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes / Q000737:chemistry*; D054879:Halogenation; D007700:Kinetics; D011854:Radiochemistry; D013237:Stereoisomerism
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; C043437:fluorodopa F 18; D004295:Dihydroxyphenylalanine