Development of 2-(2-(3-(4-([18F]Fluoromethoxy-d2)phenyl)-7-methyl-4-oxo-3,4-dihydroquinazolin-2-yl)ethyl)-4-isopropoxyisoindoline-1,3-dione for Positron-Emission-Tomography Imaging of Phosphodiesterase 10A in the Brain

Phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10A) is a newly identified therapeutic target for central-nervous-system disorders. 2-(2-(3-(4-([18F]Fluoroethoxy)phenyl)-4-oxo-3,4-dihydroquinazolin-2-yl)ethyl)-4-isopropoxyisoindoline-1,3-dione ([18F]MNI-659, [18F]5) is a useful positron-emission-tomography (PET) ligand for imaging of PDE10A in the human brain. However, the radiolabeled metabolite of [18F]5 can accumulate in the brain. In this study, using [18F]5 as a lead compound, we designed four new 18F-labeled ligands ([18F]6–9) to find one more suitable than [18F]5. Of these, 2-(2-(3-(4-([18F]fluoromethoxy-d2)phenyl)-4-oxo-3,4-dihydroquinazolin-2-yl)ethyl)-4-isopropoxyisoindoline-1,3-dione ([18F]9) exhibited high in vitro binding affinity (Ki = 2.9 nM) to PDE10A and suitable lipophilicity (log D = 2.2). In PET studies, the binding potential (BPND) of [18F]9 (5.8) to PDE10A in the striatum of rat brains was significantly higher than that of [18F]5 (4.6). Furthermore, metabolite analysis showed much lower levels of contamin...