title: Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric method for routine monitoring of 5-fluorouracil in plasma of patients receiving low-level protracted infusions.
abstract: A gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) method is described which quantitates 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) plasma levels ranging from 0.5 to 50 ng/ml. The analysis uses two internal standards, 1,3-[15N2]-5-fluorouracil and 5-chlorouracil. Extraction and derivatization of the pyrimidine bases were accomplished in a single step using acetonitrile. Compounds were analyzed as their 1,3-dipentafluorobenzyl derivatives by electron-impact MS, and the GC-MS analysis was automated with respect to sample injection and data reduction. Stability of the analysis was demonstrated by continuous unattended analysis of 5-FU in human plasma for periods of up to three days with no deterioration of the quantitative results. The method is applicable to quantitating 5-FU plasma levels in patients receiving protracted infusions of the drug for colorectal cancer or other malignancies.
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Food and Drug Administration, Rockville, MD 20850.
authors.forename: L W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Ahlgren
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Strong
mesh_terms: D016903:Drug Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D005472:Fluorouracil