Synthesis and biological activity of iodinated and photosensitive derivatives of tetrabenazine

Abstract The synthesis of a photosensitive iodinated derivative of tetrabenazine, which should be able to lead to the identification of the vesicular catecholamine transporter of adrenal medulla by photoaffinity, is described in detail. The biological activity of this iodinated ligand was found to be significantly lower than that of non iodinated ligands.