Facile and efficient synthesis of [¹⁸F]fluoromisonidazole using novel 2-nitroimidazole derivatives

[¹⁸F]Fluoromisonidazole ([¹⁸F]FMISO) is a hypoxia imaging marker utilized in positron emission tomography. Novel FMISO precursors were prepared from a commercially available material, and several reaction factors that affect synthesis of [¹⁸F]FMISO were examined to achieve a higher fluorination yield. [¹⁸F]FMISO was obtained from radiosynthesis, followed by the hydrolysis of protecting groups with HCl. New 2-nitroimidazole precursor showed a higher [¹⁸F]fluorination and a higher synthetic yield. This result provided alternative guidelines for the preparation of hypoxia imaging marker. (author)