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Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra projecting to the striatum. It has been estimated that approximately 80% of the striatal dopamine and 50% of nigral dopaminergic neurons are lost before the onset of typical motor symptoms, indicating that early diagnosis of PD using noninvasive imaging is feasible. Fluorine-19 (19 F) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) represents a highly sensitive, easily available, low-background, and cost-effective approach to evaluate dopaminergic function using non-radioactive fluorine-containing dopaminergic agents. The aim of this study was to find a potent 19 F MRI probe to evaluate dopaminergic presynaptic function in the striatum. To select candidates for 19 F MRI probes, we investigated the following eight non-radioactive fluorine-containing dopaminergic agents: fluorodopa (F-DOPA), F-tyrosine, haloperidol, GBR13069 duhydrochloride, GBR12909 duhydrochloride, 3-bis-(4-fluorophenyl) methoxytropane hydrochloride, flupenthixol, and fenfluramine. In 19 F nuclear magnetic resonance measurements, F-tyrosine and F-DOPA displayed a relatively higher signal-to-noise ratio value in brain homogenates than in others. F-DOPA, but not F-tyrosine, induced the rotational behavior in a 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced hemiparkinsonian rat model. In addition, a significantly high amount of F-DOPA accumulated in the ipsilateral striatum of hemiparkinsonian rats after the injection. We performed 19 F MRI in PC12 cells and isolated rat brain using a 7T MR scanner. Our findings suggest that F-DOPA is a promising 19 F MRI probe for evaluating dopaminergic presynaptic function in the striatum of hemiparkinsonian rats. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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