Spectrophotometric analysis for fluorouracil in biological fluids

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Pharmacology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Fluorouracil (5-fluorouracil; 5-FU) is a widely used chemotherapy drug.
• Accurate quantification of 5-FU in biological matrices is crucial for therapeutic drug monitoring and pharmacokinetic studies.
• Existing spectrophotometric methods for 5-FU determination, while effective, can be cumbersome and time-consuming due to reliance on column chromatography.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a more rapid and efficient chemical assay for the quantification of 5-FU.
• To modify and improve upon existing ion-pair extraction and spectrophotometric determination methods for 5-FU.
• To validate the applicability of the developed assay for determining 5-FU levels in biological samples like plasma and tissues.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the principle of ion-pair complex formation between 5-FU (a monoanion at pH 10) and a quaternary alkylammonium ion.
• Adapted a previously reported method by modifying the extraction and determination steps to enhance speed and reduce complexity.
• Employed spectrophotometry for quantitative analysis of extracted 5-FU.
• Applied the assay to measure 5-FU concentrations in mouse plasma and tissue samples.

Main Results:

• Successfully developed a rapid chemical assay for 5-FU quantification.
• The modified method avoids the cumbersome and time-consuming column chromatography step.
• Demonstrated the assay's applicability by successfully determining 5-FU levels in mouse plasma and tissues.
• The new method offers a faster alternative for 5-FU analysis.

Conclusions:

• The developed chemical assay provides a rapid, efficient, and practical method for determining 5-FU concentrations.
• This assay is suitable for analyzing 5-FU in biological samples, offering advantages over previous chromatographic methods.
• The improved methodology facilitates faster pharmacokinetic and therapeutic drug monitoring studies involving 5-FU.