Substituted 3-Phenyltropane Analogs of Cocaine: Synthesis, Inhibition of Binding at Cocaine Recognition Sites, and Positron Emission Tomography Imaging

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jm00059a010

It is now accepted that (-)-cocaine binds to specific recognition sites associated with monoamine transporters in the mammalian brain. In this study, several analogs of 3β-phenyltropane-2β-carboxylic acid methyl ester were prepared and their potency for inhibiting the binding of <3H>-3β-(4-fluorophenyl)tropane-2β-carboxylic acid methyl ester to primate caudate-putamen was evaluated. The synthesis and binding affinity of 3β-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)tropane-2β-carboxylic acid methyl ester, one of the most potent cocaine congeners yet reported, is presented. The feasibility of synthesizing high-affinity ligands for cocaine recognition sites and their suitability as PET imaging ligands for cocaine receptors in vivo is demonstrated.