Development of a Fluorine-18-labeled Benzoimidazotriazine-based radioligand for the imaging of Phosphodiesterase 2A in the brain with positron emission tomography

Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase 2A (PDE2A) is highly expressed in distinct areas of the brain associated with neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases like Alzheimer's disease, dementia, and schizophrenia. Specific PDE2A radioligands for the imaging of PDE2A via positron emission tomography (PET) would be helpful for the research related to the disease-related changes in the expression of this enzyme in the brain. Therefore, this thesis aims to develop a specific PDE2A radioligand for the imaging of PDE2A in the brain via PET. A series of novel fluorinated PDE2A inhibitors on the basis of a benzoimidazotriazine (BIT) scaffold was prepared by a multistep synthesis route, and their inhibitory potency towards PDE2A and selectivity over other PDEs were evaluated. Based on the in vitro inhibitory activity evaluation, one derivative, 1-(2-chloro-5-methoxy phenyl)-8-(2-fluoropyridin-4-yl)-3-methylbenzo[e]imidazo[5,1-c][1,2,4]triazine turned out to be the prospective compound. Additional in vitro studies of this ligand using mouse liver microsomes (MLM) revealed this ligand has a promising microsomal stability for 18F-labeling.This novel radioligand was prepared by nucleophilic aromatic substitution of the corresponding nitro precursor and evaluated for the potential application for imaging of PDE2A. In vitro autoradiography on pig brain cryosections demonstrated a heterogeneous spatial distribution of this radiotracer corresponding to PDE2A regions. The investigation of the in vivo metabolism of this radiotracer in mice revealed sufficient metabolic stability. PET studies in mice exhibited a moderate brain uptake of the radiotracer. Further, in vivo blocking studies showed a non-target specific binding of the radiotracer. Therefore, further structural modifications are required to improve target selectivity.