Radiochemical synthesis of etomoxir.

Sodium 2-{6-(4-chlorophenoxy)hexyl}oxirane-2-carboxylate (Etomoxir) inhibits transport of fatty acids via the carnitine shuttle into mitochondria of muscle cells and prevents long chain fatty acids from providing energy through β-oxidation especially for muscle contraction. The objective of this synthesis is to develop a method for radioiodination of Etomoxir in order to explore its potential in diagnostic metabolic studies and molecular imaging. Thus, a method is described for the radiochemical synthesis and purification of ethyl 2-{6-(4-[(131)I]iodophenoxy)hexyl}oxirane-2-carboxylate (3) and 2-{6-(4-[(131)I]iodo-phenoxy)hexyl}oxirane-2-carboxylic acid (4). For the synthesis of these new agents, ethyl 2-{6-(4-bromophenoxy)hexyl}oxirane-2-carboxylate (1) and 2-{6-(4-bromophenoxy)hexyl}oxirane-2-carboxylic acid (2) were refluxed with [(131)I]NaI in the presence of anhydrous acetone at a temperature of 80°C and 90°C for a period of 3-4 hours, respectively. The method of radiolabeling, based on the nucleophilic exchange reaction, resulted in a radiochemical yield of 43% and 67% for compounds 3 and 4, respectively. This paper reports on the labeling of etomoxir with radioiodine as (124)I labeled etomoxir may be of great importance in molecular imaging.