RADIOACTIVE BENZODIAZEPINE DERIVATIVE AND PROCESSES FOR PRODUCING THE SAME

Abstract: The present invention relates to radioactive benzodiazepine derivatives represented by the formula: wherein R is hydrogen or a lower alkyl; X* is radio­ active iodine or bromine; Y is hydrogen or a halogen; and Z is a halogen or nitro group; and salts thereof. The compounds can be used to non-invasively detect the presence of benzodiazepine receptors in human or animal brains, other organs or tissues. Additionally, it enables to dynamically trace the change in receptor concentration. Use may be as a radioactive diagnostic agent for nuclear medicine in vitro or in vivo , or as a radiopharmaceutical.

Description: The present invention relates to radioactive benzodiazepine derivatives. In particular, the invention provides a radioactive benzodiazepine derivative represented by the formula (I): wherein R is hydrogen or lower alkyl; X* is radioactive iodine or bromine; Y is hydrogen or halogen when X* is located at the 2'- or 3'-position and is halogen when X* is located at the 4'-position; and Z is halogen or nitro; or a salt thereof (hereinafter referred to as a compound of the present invention). Compounds represented by the formula (I) described below have a very high affinity to benzodiazepine receptors. They are very useful as radioactive diagnostic agents for nuclear medicine in vitro or in vivo or as radiopharmaceuticals. Furthermore, such compounds are very useful as a radioactive ligand in radio-immunoassay methods, as they have a high affinity to benzodiazepine antibodies. In recent years, it has been found that certain brain disorders (for example, epilepsy and dementia are associated with a change in the number of benzodiazepine receptors. In the medical or pharmaceutical field, studies on the relationship between benzodiazepine receptors and various cerebral diseases are of great interest. In view of this, the development of diagnostics and radio-pharmaceuticalss targetting to benzodiazepine receptors has been highly desirable. In such an approach, a compound [C-11]Ro 15-1788 labelled with positron emitter, C-11, has recently been developed and benzodiazepine receptors in the human brain have been investigated by the PET method [J. Psychiatr. Res., 19 , 609 (1985); Radiosotopes, 34 , 302 (1985)]. However, the aforesaid method using [C-11]Ro 15-1788 involves many problems in practical use. That is, cyclotron facilities are required in the clinics because C-11 has an extremely short half life. Besides, the labelled compound must be synthesized in a short period of time. VanDort et al, in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine (Abstract Book) (1987) April 28 No. 4, New York, USA, No. 719, describe iodinated peripheral benzodiazepine receptor-binding ligands labelled by exchange of the ioding for I¹²⁵. Labelled Compounds 1 and 2 are diazepams in which, respectively I¹²⁵, is at the 7-position of the benzodiazepine nucleus and Cl is at the 2'-position of the benzene nucleus (Compound 1 ) and Cl is the 7-position of the benzodiazepine nucleus and I¹²⁵ is at the 2'-position of the benzene nucleus (Compound 2 ). We have made extensive investigations, aiming at developing benzodiazepine receptor diagnostics and radiopharmaceuticals labelled with radioactive iodine or bromine. As a result, it has been found that compounds represented by the formula (I) defined above have a very high affinity to benzodiazepine receptors and specifically bind thereto. A combination system of a compound selected from the compounds of the present invention with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) method solves the aforesaid problems encountered with the PET method. This technique gives not only easly determination or diagnosis of benzodiazepine receptors but also receptor imaging even after several hours from administration, which cannot be obtained with [C-11]Ro 15-1788 due to its especially short half life. That is, we have found that compounds of the present invention represented by the formula (I) possess excellent properties as benzodiazepine receptor targetting diagnostics and radiopharmaceuticals from a practical viewpoint. Methods suitable for preparing the compounds of the present invention are described below. A compound of the present invention represented by the formula (I) define above can be produced according to either Process A or Process B shown below. [Process A] The compound of the present invention represented by the formula (I) defined above can be obtained by an exchange reaction of a benzodiazepine derivative represented by the formula (II): wherein R, Y and Z are the same as defined above and X is iodine or bromine; with a radioactive metal iodide or metal bromide in a solvent, for example, acetonitrile, dimethyl sulfoxide, dimethylformamide, ethylene glycol, an ethereal derivative of diethylene glycol, hexamethylphosphorous triamide (HMPT) or water, generally at a reaction temperature of 50° to 180° followed by a conventional procedure, for example, extraction of the resultant compound (I) with a solvent. [Process B] An aminobenzodiazepine derivative represented by the formula (III): wherein R, Y and Z are the same as defined above, is treated with an alkali metal nitrite in a solvent (e.g. tetrahydrofuran, dioxan, acetonitrile) in the presence of an acid (e.g. diluted sulfuric acid, an organic acid) to form a diazonium salt represented by the formula (IV): wherein R, Y and Z are the same as defined above, A⁻ is a halogen ion, or an anion having the formula: HSO₄⁻, the formula: or the formula R'B- wherein R' is an alkyl, a haloalkyl or an aryl which may be substituted, and B is a substituent having the formula SO₃ or CO₂. Then, the diazonium salt represented by the formula (IV) is treated with a radioactive hydroiodic acid, hydrobromic acid, metal iodide or metal bromide, if necessary in the presence of copper powder or a copper salt, generally at a temperature ranging from -5° to 30°C. Then, the product is isolated in a conventional manner, for example, by extraction with a solvent to give the compound of the present invention represented by the above formula (I). The compound of the present invention obtained by either Process A or Process B described above may be purified, if necessary or desired, in a conventional manner such as by thin layer chromatography (TLC) or high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), etc. In a compound of the present invention, the radioactive iodine may be, for example, I-123, I-125, I-131 or I-132, with I-123 being preferred. As the radioactive bromine, Br-75, Br-76, Br-77, Br-80 and Br-82 are exemplified. The radioactive metal iodide or metal bromide means a metal salt of the above radioactive iodine or bromine, and may be any of those capable of providing a radioactive I- ion or Br- ion. Specific examples thereof include sodium iodide, potassium iodide, lithium iodide, sodium bromide, potassium bromide and lithium bromide. As the halogen atom, fluorine chlorine, bromine and iodine are exemplified. In a specific range of compounds embodying the invention, the 7-position of the benzodiazepine nucleus is substituted by halogen or nitro, especially chlorine or nitro. In another specific range, the phenyl group shown in formula (I) is [¹²⁵I]-2-iodophenyl, [⁸²Br]-2-bromophenyl, 2-fluoro-[¹²⁵I]-4-iodophenyl or [¹²⁵I]-3-iodophenyl. The salt of the radioactive benzodiazepine derivative of the present invention refers to a pharmacologically acceptable salt such as a salt of the radioactive benzodiazepine derivative with a mineral acid (eg. hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid) or that with an organic acid (eg acetic acid). After the radioactive benzodiazepine derivative or salt thereof of the present invention has been intravenously administered to the patient, a scintigram is taken with the passage of time, or radioactivity is measured by a probe method, or uptake of the compound into a specific organ or tissue is measured by tomographic images obtained with a SPECT or PET camera, thereby enabling an easy and accurate diagnosis of the regional scope of focus and the degree of disease. Furthermore, the compound of the present invention labelled with, for example, an atom such as I-125 or I-131, can be advantageously used as a radioactive ligand for quantitatively analyzing the benzodiazepine derivative and its metabolite and for estimating the affinity, in radioactive immunoassay using the benzodiazepine antibody, in measurement of the amount of the benzodiazepine derivative in a body fluid sample (eg blood, or urine) and in radioreceptor assay using the benzodiazepine receptors. The following Examples, Reference Examples and Test Examples serve to give specific illustrations of the practice of the present invention. The following Reference Examples show the preparation of the compounds used as a raw material for compounds embodying the present invention. Reference Example 1 Preparation of 7-chloro-2,3-dihydro-5-(2-iodophenyl)-1-methyl-1H-1,4-benzodiazepine: After a mixture of 181 mg of N'-(4-chlorophenyl)-N-(2-iodobenzoyl)-N'-methylethylenediamine, 925 mg of phosphorous pentoxide and 4 ml of phosphorus oxychloride had been stirred at 115° to 120° for 4 hours, the reaction mixture was allowed to cool and poured into ice water to decompose an excess of the reagents. After having been washed with ether, the aqueous phase was alkalized with sodium carbonate and then extracted with ethyl acetate. After the organic phase had been washed with water, distilling off the solvent therefrom gave 164 mg of 7-chloro-2,3-dihydro-5-(2-iodophenyl)-1-methyl-1H-1,4-benzodiazepine. Mass spectrum (70 eV) m/e: 396, 398 (M⁺) ¹H-NMR (CDCl₃) δ (ppm): 2.9 (3H, s, CH₃), 3.6-3.9 (4H, m, -CH₂CH₂-), 6.9-7.9 (7H, m, benzene ring H) Reference Example 2 Preparation of 7-chloro-1-methyl-5-(2-iodophenyl)-3H-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-one (2′-iododiazepam): A THF solution of 158 mg 7-chloro-2,3-dihydro-5-(2-iodophenyl)-1-methyl-1H-1,4-benzodiazepine and a sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution were simultaneously added by drops to a THF solution of N-bromosuccinimide at room temperature. After the mixture had been stirred at the same temperature for additional 30 minutes, water was poured thereinto and the resulting mixture was extracted with ethyl acetate. Purifying the crude product by silica gel column chromatography gave 140 mg of 2′-iododiazepam. Melting point: 174° - 176°C Mass spectrum (70 eV) m/e: 410, 412 (M⁺) ¹H-NMR (CDCl₃) δ (ppm): 3.4 (3H, s, CH₃), 3.8 (1H, d, CH), 4.7 (1H, d, CH), 6.9-7.9 (7H, m, benzene ring H) Reference Example 3 Preparation of 7-chloro-1-methyl-5-(2-bromophenyl)-3H-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-one (2′-bromodiazepam): In the same procedure as in Reference Example 2, 170 mg of 2′-bromodiazepam were obtained from 200 mg of 7-chloro-2,3-dihydro-5-(2-bromophenyl)-1-methyl-1H-1,4-benzodiazepine obtained according to the Reference Example 1. Melting point: 145° - 146°C Mass spectrum (70 eV) m/e: 362, 364 (M⁺) ¹H-NMR (CDCl₃) δ (ppm): 3.4 (3H, s, CH₃), 3.8 (1H, bd, CH), 4.8 (1H, bd, CH) Reference Example 4 Preparation of 7-nitro-1-methyl-5-(2-iodophenyl)-3H-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-one: A chromic acid solution was added by drops to an acetic acid solution of 158 mg 7-nitro-2,3-dihydro-5-(2-iodophenyl)-1-methyl-3H-1,4-benzodiazepine at room temperature. After having been stirred at the same temperature for additional one hour, the reaction mixture was poured into ice water and alkalized with aqueous ammonia. After the solvent had been distilled off, purifying the resulting crude product by silica gel column chromatography gave 70 mg of 7-nitro-1-methyl-5-(2-iodophenyl)-3H-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-one. Mass spectrum (70 eV) m/e: 421 (M⁺) ¹H-NMR CDCl₃) δ (ppm): 3.5 (3H, s, CH₃), 3.9 (1H, bd, CH), 4.7 (1H, bd, CH), 7.2-8.5 (7H, m, benzene ring H) Reference Example 5 Preparation of 7-chloro-1-methyl-5-(2-fluoro-4-iodophenyl)-3H-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-one (4′-iodofludiazepam): To a mixture of 165 mg of 4′-aminofludiazepam, 0.8 ml of acetonitrile and a sodium nitrite aqueous solution were added 130 µl of trifluoroacetic acid while cooling the mixture with ice water. The mixture was stirred at the same temperature for 20 minutes. An aqueous solution of potassium iodide was added to the obtained diazonium salt solution followed by stirring at the same temperature for 2 hours. After completion of the reaction, the reaction mixture was extracted with chloroform. The solvent was distilled off to obtain the crude product. Purifying it by silica gel columm chromatography gave 160 mg of 4′-iodofludiazepam. Mass spectrum (70 eV) m/e: 428, 430 (M⁺) ¹H-NMR (CDCl₃) δ (ppm): 3.4 (3H, s, CH₃), 3.8 (1H, d, CH), 4.8 (1H, d, CH), 7.0-7.7 (6H, m, benzene ring H) Reference Example 6 Preparation of 7-chloro-1-methyl-5-(3-iodophenyl)-3H-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-one (3'-iododiazepam): In the same procedure as in Reference Example 2, 140 mg of 3'-iododiazepam were obtained from 182 mg of 7-chloro-2,3-dihydro-5-(3-iodophenyl)-1-methyl-1H-1,4-benzodiazepine. Mass spectrum (70 eV) m/e: 410, 412 (M⁺) The following Examples show the preparation of the compounds of the present invention. Example 1 Preparation of 7-chloro-1-methyl-5-([¹²⁵I]-2-iodophenyl)-3H-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-one ([¹²⁵I]-2'-iododiazepam): To 10 µl of a DMF solution containing 5 µg of 2'-bromodiazepam were added 1-naphthalenesulfonic acid, copper sulfide and 1 mCi of Na¹²⁵I. After having been heated at 100°C for 1.5 hours, the reaction mixture was allowed to cool. Purifying the obtained crude product by HPLC (columm: Deverosil® ODS7) gave 0.7 mCi of [¹²⁵I]-2′-iododiazepam. This product was identical with the product obtained in Reference Example 2 in Rf values in TLC and Rt values in HPLC. Example 2 Preparation of 7-chloro-1-methyl-5-([⁸²Br]-2-bromophenyl)-3H-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-one ([⁸²Br] -2′-bromodiazepam): To 6 µg of 2′-iododiazepam obtained in Reference Example 2 were added 10 µl of 50% aqueous solution of DMF, 1-naphthalenesulfonic acid, copper sulfide and 2 mCi of Na⁸²Br. After having been heated at 100°C for 2 hours, the reaction mixture was allowed to cool. Purifying the obtained crude product by HPLC gave 1 mCi of [⁸²Br]-2′-bromodiazepam. This product was identical with the product obtained in Reference Example 3 in Rf values in TLC and Rt values in HPLC. Example 3 Preparation of 7-nitro-1-methyl-5-([¹²⁵I]-2-iodophenyl)-3H-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-one: To 20 µl of DMF solution containing 10 µg of 7-nitro-1-methyl-5-(2-iodophenyl)-3H-1,4-benzo-diazepin-2-one obtained in Reference Example 4 were added 1-naphthalenesulfonic acid, copper sulfide and 1 mCi of Na¹²⁵I. After having been heated at 100°C for 2 hours, the reaction mixture was allowed to cool. Purifying the obtained crude product by HPLC (chloroform/acetone = 9/1) gave 0.6 mCi of 7-nitro-1-methyl-5-([¹²⁵I]-2-iodophenyl)-3H-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-one. This product was identical with the product obtained in Reference Example 4 in Rf values in TLC. Example 4 Preparation of 7-chloro-1-methyl-5-(2-fluoro[¹²⁵I]-4-iodophenyl)-3H-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-one ([¹²⁵I]-4'-iodofludiazepam): In the same procedure as in Example 3, 0.3 mCi of [¹²⁵I]-4'-iodofludiazepam was obtained from 6 µg of 4'-iodofludiazepam obtained in Reference Example 5. The product was identical with the product obtained in Reference Example 5 in Rf values in TLC. Example 5 Preparation of 7-chloro-1-methyl-5-([¹²⁵I)-3-iodophenyl)-3H-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-one ([¹²⁵I]-3'-iododiazepam): In the same procedure as in Example 3, 0.3 mCi of [¹²⁵I]-3'-iododiazepam was obtained from 4 µg of 3'-iododiazepam obtained in Reference Example 6. The product was identical with the product obtained in Reference Example 6 in Rf values in TLC. The following Test Example shows that the compounds described have a very high affinity to benzodiazepine receptors. Test Example 2'-Iododiazepam, Diazepam and Fludiazepam were screened for benzodiazepine receptor binding affinity according to the method reported by Nakatsuka (Life Sciences 36 (2) 113-119, 1985). An aliquot of synaptosomal membrane preparations was incubated at 4°C for 15 min. with each of the unlabelled competing drugs (2'-Iododiazepam, Diazepam and Fludiazepam) in different concentrations and 3H-diazepam. The incubation was terminated by adding ice-cold Tris-HCl buffer followed by a rapid filtration through a Whatman GF/B filter. The bound 3H-diazepam retained on the filter was extracted with ACS-II (Amersham) and counted. All incubations were conducted in triplicate. Nonspecific binding was determined in tubes containing diazepam. Specific binding was calculated by subtracting the nonspecific binding from the total binding. IC₅₀ values, the concentrations of the tested compounds that cause 50% inhibition of the specific 3H-diazepam were determined from the displacement curves obtained. The results are summarized in the Table below. Inhibitory Potency (Affinity for Benzodiazepine Receptors) of Benzodiazepine Derivatives for 3H-Diazepam to Rat Synaptosomal membranes Compound IC₅₀ (M) Ki (M) Relative Potency Diazepam 9.0 × 10⁻⁹ 7.7 × 10⁻⁹ 100 Fludiazepam 1.2 × 10⁻⁹ 1.0 × 10⁻⁹ 770 2'-Iododiazepam 2.5 × 10⁻¹⁰ 2.1 × 10⁻¹⁰ 3600 The compound of the present invention enables not only to non-invasively detect the presence of benzodiazepine receptors in human or animal brains, other organs or tissues but also to dynamically trace the change in receptor concentration.

Claims: A radioactive benzodiazepine derivative represented by the formula (I): wherein R is hydrogen or lower alkyl; X* is radioactive iodine or bromine; Y is hydrogen or halogen when X* is located at the 2'- or 3'-position and is halogen when X* is located at the 4'-position; and Z is halogen or nitro; or a salt thereof. A radioactive benzodiazepine derivative or salt thereof according to claim 1, wherein R is methyl. A radioactive benzodiazepine derivative or salt thereof according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the substituent X* is I-123, I-125, I-131, Br-75, Br-76, Br-77, Br-80 or Br-82. A radioactive benzodiazepine derivative or salt thereof according to claim 3, wherein the substituent X* is I-125 or Br-82. A radioactive benzodiazepine derivative or salt thereof according to claim 4, wherein, in the said derivative represented by the formula (I), the substituted phenyl group is selected from [¹²⁵I]-2-iodophenyl, [⁸²Br]-2-bromophenyl, 2-fluoro-[¹²⁵I]-4-iodophenyl and [¹²⁵I]-3-iodophenyl. A radioactive benzodiazepine derivative or salt thereof according to any preceding claim, wherein Z is a halogen atom at the 7-position or a nitro group at the 7-position. A radioactive benzodiazepine derivative or salt thereof according to claim 6, wherein Z is chlorine or nitro.

Inventors: NAKATSUKA, IWAO, OKUNO, MASAMI, SHIBA, KUNIO, YOSHITAKE, AKIRA
Applicants: SUMITOMO CHEMICAL COMPANY, LIMITED
Application year: 1988
Main classification: C07B59
IPC codes: G01N33, A61K51, C07D243, C07B59