Synthesis of ¹⁸F Labeled Clotrimazole Derivatives as a Potential PET Imaging Agent

¹⁸F을 표지 암 영상용 클로트리마졸 유도체의 합성

Clotrimazole [1-{(2-chlorophenyl)-diphenylmethyl}-1H-imidazole, CLT] has been reported to inhibit the proliferation of vascular endothelial and act as an in vitro anti-VEGF drug. It is also shown to inhibit angiogenesis in an animal model. The radioisotope labeled clotrimazole derivative can be utilized to monitor the physiologic processes of cancer. In this study, we synthesized [$^{18}F$]fluoride labeled clotrimazole derivatives as a new tumor imaging agent for PET. The references were prepared by a refluxing with clotrimazole and an excess of fluoroalkyltosylate in acetonitrile for 36 h and clotrimazole reacted with ditosylalkane to give precursors. [$^{18}F$]Fluoride labeled reaction was performed with precursor in Kryptofix[2.2.2]/$K_2CO_3$ for 10 min at $80^{\circ}C$. The radiolabeling mixture was passed through a silica Sep-Pak cartridge to remove $^{18}F^-$. The [$^{18}F$]F-clotrimazole derivatives were synthesized with a 20~25% yield. In the radiofluorination step, we used acetonitrile and DMSO as a solvent and observed a higher yield at the acetonitrile (25%) reaction compared with the DMSO reaction (5%).