Radiopharmaceuticals. 16. Halogenated dopamine analogs. Synthesis and radiolabeling of 6-iododopamine and tissue distribution studies in animals.

A simple halogenated derivative of dopamine, 6-iododopamine (1), has been synthesized using two different methods. These synthetic sequences have been applied to the radiolabeling of 1 with carbon-11, iodine-131, and iodine-123. The tissue distribution of 1 in mice, dogs, and rats was determined. The ratio of radioactivity (%/g) in the adrenal medulla-kidney in dogs increases from 3.45 at 2 h postinjection to 33.3 at 24 h postinjection. Thyroid uptakes in mice, dogs, and rats show that in vivo deiodination of 1 is not significant.