A fluorometric method for the estimation of 6-mercaptopurine in serum

✍ Scribed by Joe M. Finkel

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1967
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 520 KB
• Volume: 21
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0003-2697
• DOI: 10.1016/0003-2697(67)90311-9

✦ Synopsis

There is a need for reliable quantitative methods for the estimation of antiIeukemic drugs in blood and tissues. Information on the levels of these drugs in serum or plasma required to induce remissions in leukemia can provide valuable guides to more effective therapy.

A survey of the literature has revealed only a limited numbr of applicable methods for the estimation of 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP), an important drug in the management of acute leukemia. One method is based upon a nonspecific calorimetric reaction (1)) and the others employ either S5-or C4-labeled 6-MP (2,3).

This communication describes a sensitive, specific method of analysis for trace amounts of 6-MP in serum or plasma. The method is based upon the conversion of 6-MP to purine-6-sulfonate by oxidation with potassium permanganate (4). The purine-6-sulfonate formed by the reaction is then determined spectrophotofluorometrically.

The limit of sensitivity of the method and the linearity of the relationships between the relative fluorescence intensity and the concentration of 6-MP in water and in serum were established first. The specificity of the method when applied to serum containing some added products of 6-MP metabolism was next investigated. Finally, the method was applied to samples of blood from animals that had been dosed with known amounts of 6-MP.