We report here the syntheses of
N-substituted quinolinimide derivatives displaying sufficient affinity and highselectivity for
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-opioid receptors. Among 9-subsituted derivatives, one showed much higher selectivity for the
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receptor in binding assays than the
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antagonist methylnaltrindole (
6:
Ki = 42 nM;
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/
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and
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/
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> 238 on ratbrain membranes) and antagonist properties. This compound was labeled with carbon-11 (
t1/2 = 20.4 min) as apotential radioligand for the noninvasive assessment of
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opioid receptors in vivo with positron emission tomography(PET). A high yielding radiosynthesis of
[11C]-6, based on the [
11C]methyl introduction on the pyridine moietyby a Stille reaction, was described (radiochemical yield = 60 ± 10%, specific activities = 0.8 to 1.5 Ci/
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mol).The in vivo pharmacological profile in rats indicated that the radiotracer crossed the blood-brain barrier but wasnot stable and underwent rapid degradation in both plasma and brain. No specific binding was consequentlyrevealed.