Radiosynthesis and pharmacokinetics of high specific activity /sup 75,77/Br-bromperidol, a potent butyrophenone neuroleptic

Bromperidol, 4-[4-(4-bromophenyl)-4-hydroxypiperidino]-4'- fluorobutyrophenone, is a potent neuroleptic which has found clinical use in the treatment of schizophrenia. Of the major dopaminergic receptor-binding ligands, bromperidol has the greatest specificity for binding to cerebral dopamine receptors (K/sub i/ = 3.7 nM) relative to competitive cerebral serotonin (K/sub i/ = 26 nM), α-adrenergic (K/sub i/ = 100 nM) or histamine (K/sub i/ = 700 nM) receptors. The authors have therefore prepared bromperidol labelled with no-carrier-added (n.c.a.) /sup 75/Br (t/sub 1/2/ = 1.6 hr β/sup +/) or /sup 77/Br (t/sub 1/2/ = 52 hr EC) for evaluation as a radiopharmaceutical for mapping cerebral dopamine receptor areas with PECT technology, as well as for non-invasive pharmacodynamic studies in man with conventional nuclear medicine equipment. 4-[4-(4-trimethylstannylphenyl)-4-hydroxypiperidino]-4'- fluorobutyrophenone, TMSn-P, was synthesized in 40% chemical yield by reaction of trimethylstannyl sodium with bromperidol. TMSn-P was purified by preparative HPLC and characterized by /sup 1/H-NMR and GC-MS. TMSn-P was radiobrominated in methanol using n.c.a. /sup 75/Br/sup -/ or /sup 77/Br/sup -/ and dichloramine-T as oxidizing agent. Product /sup 75,77/Br-bromperidol was separated from impurities, including chlorinated side-product halo-peridol, using HPLC (RP-18; MeOH/H/sub 2/O/Et/sub 3/N = 70/30/0.3). For a reaction time of 5 minutes, and an overall radiopharmaceutical production time of 30 minutes, /sup 75,77/Br-bromperidol was obtained in physiological saline solution with 40% radiochemical yield and a specific activity > 10,000 Ci/mmole. The pharmacokinetics in rodents and PECT studies in primates using /sup 75,77/Br-bromperidol are compared with that of previously-reported /sup 75,77/Br-brombenperidol