Synthesis of N-fluoroalkyl-tryptophan and study of their biological activity as potential substrates for indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (rhIDO) is an enzyme mainly expressed in brain and tumor cells and catalyzing the oxidative cleavage of the indole ring of L-tryptophan through the kynurenine pathway. Furthermore this enzyme could be responsible for the eventual suppression of immune responses by blocking locally T-lymphocyte proliferation. The syntheses of 1-(2-fluoroethyl)-tryptophan (1-[19F]FETrp) and 1-((1-(2-fluoroethyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methyl)-tryptophan, two N-fluoroalkylated tryptophan derivatives, are described here. In vitro enzymatic assays with these two new potential substrates of rhIDO show that 1-[19F]FETrp is a good and specific substrate of hIDO