Discovery of N-{(1S,2S)-2-(3-Cyanophenyl)- 3-[4-(2-[18F]fluoroethoxy)phenyl]-1-methylpropyl}- 2-methyl-2-[(5-methylpyridin-2-yl)oxy]propanamide, a Cannabinoid-1 Recepto
The discovery of a structurally distinct cannabinoid-1receptor (CB1R) positron emission tomography tracer is described.Starting from an acyclic amide CB1R inverse agonist (1) as the leadcompound, an efficient route to introduce 18F to the molecule wasdeveloped. Further optimization focused on reducing the lipophilicityand increasing the CB1R affinity. These efforts led to the identificationof [18F]-16 that exhibited good brain uptake and an excellent signal-to-noise ratio in rhesus monkeys.