An improved strategy for the synthesis of [18F]-labeled arabinofuranosyl nucleosides

The expression of the herpes simplex virus type-1 thymidine kinase (HSV1-tk) gene can be imaged efficaciously using a variety of 2′-[18F]fluoro-2′-deoxy-1-b-D-arabinofuranosyl-uracil derivatives [[18F]-FXAU, X = I(iodo), E(ethyl), and M(methyl)]. However, the application of these derivatives in clinical and translational studies has been impeded by their complicated and long syntheses (3–5 h). To remedy these issues, in the study at hand we have investigated whether microwave or combined catalysts could facilitate the coupling reaction between sugar and nucleobase and, further, have probed the feasibility of establishing a novel approach for [18F]-FXAU synthesis.We have demonstrated that the rate of the trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (TMSOTf)-catalyzed coupling reaction between the 2-deoxy-sugar and uracil derivatives at 90 °C can be significantly accelerated by microwave-driven heating or by the addition of Lewis acid catalyst (SnCl4). Further, we have observed that the stability of the α- and β-anomers of [18F]-FXAU derivatives differs during the hydrolysis step. Using the microwave-driven heating approach, overall decay-corrected radiochemical yields of 19%–27% were achieved for [18F]-FXAU in 120 min at a specific activity of > 22 MBq/nmol (595 Ci/mmol). Ultimately, we believe that these high yielding syntheses of [18F]-FIAU, [18F]-FMAU and [18F]-FEAU will facilitate routine production for clinical applications.