[11C]ER-176

Inflammation has been linked to the onset and progression of a wide range of neuropathological disorders. The well‐conserved outer mitochondrial membrane 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO) is perceived as an in vivo neuroinflammation marker. A dearth of a reference region, genetic disparity influencing the ligand's affinity for TSPO, and a substantial signal in the endothelium of the brain veins contributes toward complications in quantifying TSPO positron emission tomography (PET) image. Up to the present time several radiotracers based on different pharmacophore such as (R)[11C]PK11195, [18F]DPA714, [11C]PBR28, [11C]ER176, and many more have been recognized for envisaging the prominent TSPO level observed in neurological conditions. Recently acetamidobenzoxazolone (ABO) scaffold, a bicyclic ring system composed of a phenyl ring fused to a carbamate and its substituted radiolabelled analogues especially at C‐5 position has evidenced encouraging outcomes as next generation of TSPO PET ligands. Diverse ABO framework‐based TSPO ligands have been designed embracing imperative aspects such as lipophilicity, metabolic profile, and capability to penetrate the blood–brain barrier apart from least effect of polymorphism (rs6971). Over the years numerous systematic literature reviews compiling different structural class of TSPO ligands characterized on the grounds of their binding affinity and metabolite profile have been reported but none is especially focused toward a fascinating benzoxazolone scaffold. This review exclusively bestows an overview of the recent advancements on ABO derivatives with neuroinflammation imaging potential and emphases on the structural features accountable for visualizing TSPO in‐vivo with collation of published reports during last 10 years.

[¹¹C]ER176 is a next generation PET radioligand for imaging 18 kDa translocator protein, a biomarker for neuroinflammation. The goal of this work was to investigate alternative strategies for the radiochemical synthesis, purification, and formulation of [¹¹C]ER176. An optimized tri-solvent high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) protocol is described to separate the hydro-de-chlorinated byproduct from [¹¹C]ER176. A newly implemented solid phase extraction work-up efficiently removed HPLC solvent while maintaining chemical purity and overall radiochemical yield and purity. This new HPLC purification and final formulation was completed within 40 min, providing 2.7 ± 0.5 GBq of [¹¹C]ER176 at end of synthesis with 1400 ± 300 GBq/μmol molar activity while meeting all specifications for radiopharmaceutical quality control tests for human research use.