Befloxatone (1, (5R)-5-(methoxymethyl)-3-[4-[(3R)-4,4,4-trifluoro-3-hydroxybutoxy]phenyl]-2-oxazolidinone) is an oxazolidinone derivative belonging to a new generation of reversible and selective mono-amine oxidase-A (MAO-A) inhibitors. In vitro and ex vivo studies have demonstrated that befloxatone is a potent, reversible and competitive MAO-A inhibitor with potential antidepressant properties. Befloxatone (1) was labelled with carbon-11 (t(1/2): 20.4min) using [C-11]phosgene as reagent. Typically, starting from a 1.2Ci (44.4GBq) cyclotron-produced [C-11]CH4 batch, 150-3OOmCi (5.55-11.10 GBq) of [C-11]befloxatone ([C-11]-1) with a radiochemical- and chemical purity of more than 99% were routinely obtained within 20min of radiosynthesis (including HPLC purification) with specific radioactivities of 500-20OOmCi/mumol (18.5-74.0GBq/mumol). The results obtained in vivo with carbon-11-labelled befloxatone not only confirm the biochemical and pharmacological profile of befloxatone found in rodent and in human tissues but also point out [C-11]befloxatone as an excellent tool for the assessment of MAO-A binding sites using positron emission tomography, a high-resolution, sensitive, non-invasive and quantitative imaging technique. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Dolle; Bramoulle; Bottlaender, Journal of labelled compounds and radiopharmaceuticals, 1999, vol. 42, # SUPPL. 1, p. S608-S609