Synthesis of a dopamine uptake inhibitor for pet studies: 1-[1-(2-benzo(b)thiophenyl)cyclohexyl]-4-(2-[18F] fluoroethyl)piperazine

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/(SICI)1099-1344(199603)38:3<299::AID-JLCR847>3.0.CO;2-E

The BTCP derivative 1-[1-(2-benzo(b)thiophenyl) cyclohexyl]-4-(2-hydroxyethyl) piperazine 2 showed, in vitro, high affinity and selectivity for the Dopamine transporter. In order to evaluate the potential of such a compound as an imaging tool for studying the dopaminergic system by Positron Emission Tomography (PET) the cold fluoroethyl BTCP piperazine 6, was synthesized. After checking the biological activity of the cold compound 6, the [¹⁸F] analogue 7 was synthesized. The radiosynthesis was carried out by the nucleophilic substitution of 1-[1-(2-benzo(b)thiophenyl) cyclohexyl]-4-(2-chloroethyl) piperazine 5 with cyclotron-produced n.c.a. ¹⁸F^-, obtained by the (p,n) reaction on ¹⁸O enriched water.