Determination of the antineoplastic agent methotrexate in body fluids by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

Facile Electrochemical Determination of Methotrexate (MTX) Using Glassy Carbon Electrode-Modified with Electronically Disordered NiO Nanostructures

Recently, the oxidative behavior of methotrexate (MTX) anticancer drug is highly demanded, due to its side effects on healthy cells, despite being a very challenging task. In this study, we have prepared porous NiO material using sodium sulfate as an electronic disorder reagent by hydrothermal method and found it highly sensitive and selective for the oxidation of MTX. The synthesized NiO nanostructures were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. These physical characterizations delineated the porous morphology and cubic crystalline phase of NiO. Different electrochemical approaches have been utilized to determine the MTX concentrations in 0.04 M Britton-Robinson buffer (BRB) at pH 2 using glassy carbon electrode (GCE)-modified with electronically disordered NiO nanostructures. The linear range for MTX using cyclic voltammetry (CV) was found to be from 5 to 30 nM, and the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 1.46 nM and 4.86 nM, respectively, whereas the linear range obtained via linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) was estimated as 15-90 nM with LOD and LOQ of 0.819 nM and 2.713 nM, respectively. Additionally, amperometric studies revealed a linear range from 10 to70 nM with LOD and LOQ of 0.1 nM and 1.3 nM, respectively. Importantly, MTX was successfully monitored in pharmaceutical products using the standard recovery method. Thus, the proposed approach for the synthesis of active metal oxide materials could be sued for the determination of other anticancer drugs in real samples and other biomedical applications.

Optimized high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection method using core-shell particles for the therapeutic monitoring of methotrexate

Methotrexate (MTX) is an antineoplastic drug, and due to its high toxicity, the therapeutic drug monitoring is strictly conducted in the clinical practice. The chemometric optimization and validation of a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method using core-shell particles is presented for the determination of MTX in plasma during therapeutic monitoring. Experimental design and response surface methodology (RSM) were applied for the optimization of the chromatographic system and the analyte extraction step. A Poroshell 120 EC-C18 (3.0 mm×75 mm, 2.7 μm) column was used to obtain a fast and efficient separation in a complete run time of 4 min. The optimum conditions for the chromatographic system resulted in a mobile phase consisting of acetic acid/sodium acetate buffer solution (85.0 mM, pH=4.00) and 11.2% of acetonitrile at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. Selectivity, linearity, accuracy and precision were demonstrated in a range of 0.10-6.0 µM of MTX. The application of the optimized method required only 150 µL of patient plasma and a low consumption of solvent to provide rapid results.

Determination of methotrexate and folic acid by ion chromatography with electrochemical detection on a functionalized multi-wall carbon nanotube modified electrode

A simple and sensitive method was developed for simultaneous determination of methotrexate (MTX) and folic acid (FA) by ion chromatography with electrochemical detection (IC-ECD). Quaternary amine functionalized multi-wall carbon nanotubes (q-MWNTs) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was used as an amperometric sensor to determine MTX and FA. The electrochemical behaviors of MTX and FA at the q-MWNTs/GCE were studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV). Results indicated that this modified electrode exhibited electrocatalytic oxidation toward MTX and FA with high sensitivity, stability and long life. Good separation of MTX and FA was demonstrated by IC on an anion-exchange column with phosphate buffer solution (PBS) as eluent. Under the optimal conditions, the linear ranges were from 0.01 to 20mg/L for both MTX and FA with correlation coefficients r ≥ 0.9994. The obtained detection limits (LODs) for MTX and FA were 0.2 and 0.4 μg/L (S/N=3), respectively. The method has been successfully applied to the determination of MTX and FA in plasma and urine of patients of rheumatoid arthritis.

In situ evaluation of anticancer drug methotrexate-DNA interaction using a DNA-electrochemical biosensor and AFM characterization

An in situ evaluation of the dsDNA-methotrexate (MTX) interaction was performed by voltammetry using a DNA-electrochemical biosensor and characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) at a highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surface. Electrochemical experiments in incubated solutions showed that the interaction of MTX with dsDNA leads to modifications to the dsDNA structure in a time-dependent manner. The AFM images show reorganization of the DNA self-assembled network on the surface of the HOPG electrode upon binding methotrexate and the formation of a more densely packed and slightly thicker MTX-dsDNA lattice with a large number of aggregates embedded into the network film. The intercalation of MTX between complementary base pairs of dsDNA lead to the increase of purine oxidation peaks due to the unwinding of the dsDNA. The dsDNA-electrochemical biosensor and the purinic homo-polynucleotide single stranded sequences of guanosine and adenosine, poly[G] and poly[A]-electrochemical biosensors, were used to investigate and understand the interaction between MTX and dsDNA.

Separation methods for methotrexate, its structural analogues and metabolites

Methotrexate (MTX) is the prototype folate antagonist cytotoxic drug, employed in the therapy of solid tumors and leukaemias, and recently also as an immunosuppressive agent in organ transplantation, in the treatment of some autoimmune diseases and in the therapy of severe asthma. MTX is one of the very few antineoplastic drugs the therapeutic concentration monitoring of which is currently employed in clinical practice and can be routinely measured in biological samples by a number of different analytical techniques, among which are immunoenzymatic and chromatographic methods. Each technique has of course its own advantages in terms of sensitivity, specificity, speed, cost and level of expertise required. Along with therapeutic drug concentration monitoring and clinical pharmacology, fundamental research into the mechanism of action of antifolate drugs is still a field which requires the measurement of MTX, of its new analogues and of their metabolites in biological samples. This review summarizes the instrumental conditions and the performance of several published chromatographic methods employed to measure MTX, its metabolites and some analogues in clinical and biological research. More than 70 papers describing chromatographic assays for MTX and its metabolites have been published in the literature between 1975 and 2000. A wide array of experimental conditions for sample preparation, analyte separation and detection have been employed. According to their chemical properties, MTX, its metabolites and analogue drugs present in several biological samples (plasma, serum, saliva, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, tissue specimens) can be extracted, separated and detected under a variety of chromatographic conditions, i.e. on different stationary phases, under a wide choice of mobile phase conditions (acidic or neutral, employing ion-pair or micellar chromatography), followed by several detection techniques (UV-Vis spectrophotometry, pre- or post-column oxidation and fluorimetry, electrochemistry, mass spectrometry). Optimized methods allow simultaneous measurement within a few minutes of the plasma levels of MTX and its main metabolites at concentrations in the low-nM range. One special field which needs sensitive, fast and inexpensive methods for the detection and measurement of MTX is the monitoring of contamination in workplace environments, such as pharmaceutical industries and oncological hospital pharmacies, and in sewage waters. The measurement of the intracellular gamma-oligo-glutamate metabolites of biological folates, of MTX and of some analogue drugs is of great importance in basic pharmacological research. The existence of empirical quantitative relationships between the retention of individual oligomers under different chromatographic conditions and the number of added glutamic acid units allows identification of the metabolites even when authentic standards are not available.

Determination of methotrexate in human urine at trace levels by solid phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

For biological monitoring of hospital personnel occupationally exposed to antineoplastic agents, highly sensitive and specific methods are required. In order to detect trace MTX urinary concentrations, a precise and accurate high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) procedure, incorporating solid phase extraction, has been developed. Urine samples were purified by solid phase extraction (SPE) on octadecyl bonded, endcapped silica SPE columns. After eluting with methanol, the solvent was evaporated obtaining a 25-fold concentration of the analyte. This procedure was validated by using 7-OHMTX as internal standard. Calibration curves had correlation coefficients always higher than 0.999, and the limit of detection was assessed at 0.2 microg L(-1). High specificity of the HPLC-MS/MS technique assures that no interfering substances are detected rather than the analyte of interest.

Determination of methotrexate and its main metabolite 7-hydroxymethotrexate in human urine by high-performance liquid chromatography with normal solid-phase extraction

A practical and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method using normal solid-phase extraction has been developed for the determination of methotrexate (MTX) and its main metabolite 7-hydroxymethotrexate (7-OH-MTX) in human urine. A urine specimen followed by the addition of pH 5.0 acetate buffer was purified by solid-phase extraction on a Sep-Pak silica cartridge. The analyte was chromatographed on a reversed-phase Inertsil ODS-2 column using phosphate buffer-acetonitrile at pH 5.3 as the mobile phase, and the effluent from the column was monitored at 303 nm. A good linear relationship between peak height and concentration was found for both of MTX and 7-OH-MTX in the range 5 to 1000 ng/ml of human urine. The inter-day coefficients of variation for the assay (n = 5) were 8.8% (5 ng/ml), 3.4% (50 ng/ml) and 2.0% (500 ng/ml) for MTX, and 7.2, 2.7 and 2.3% for 7-OH-MTX in urine, respectively. The present method should prove useful for the evaluation of urinary drug excretion in patients undergoing MTX low-dose therapy.

Determination of methotrexate and its metabolite 7-hydroxymethotrexate by direct injection of human plasma into a column-switching liquid chromatographic system using post-column photochemical reaction with fluorimetric detection

A simple, sensitive and fully automated column-switching system by direct injection of plasma samples for determination of methotrexate and its metabolite 7-hydroxymethotrexate was developed. The system utilized a C8 alkyl-diol silica precolumn coupled with a LiChrospher RP-18 analytical column, followed by a photoreactor and fluorimetric detection. The photo-oxidative irradiation was accomplished at UV 254 nm in the presence of 0.1% hydrogen peroxide in the eluent. Studies showed that the fluorimetric response was influenced by the reaction time, the degree of the reactor's transparency and the choice of the working wavelengths. By optimizing the content of acetonitrile in the eluent, methotrexate can be separated from 7-hydroxymethotrexate completely. The method validation revealed quantitative recoveries (> or = 94%) with coefficients of variation < or = 4.4%. The limits of detection and quantitation for determination of methotrexate were 0.20 and 0.36 ng, respectively, corresponding to 2.0 and 3.6 ng/ml for an injection volume of 100 microliters. It was possible to enhance the sensitivity further by injecting larger plasma volumes, up to 500 microliters.

Sensitive determination of methotrexate in monkey plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography using on-line solid-phase extraction

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the sensitive determination of methotrexate (MTX) in monkey plasma using direct injection and on-line solid-phase extraction. After application of a 100-microliters aliquot of plasma to a pre-treatment column, the column was washed with 0.02 M phosphate buffer (pH 7) to eliminate plasma proteins and endogenous substances, and subsequently the adsorbed MTX was eluted. The MTX fraction was transferred to an analytical column by a column-switching (heart-cutting) technique, and MTX was analyzed using ion-pair chromatography with tetrabutylammonium bromide. More than 50 injections could be performed onto one pretreatment column. The accuracy, precision, reproducibility and linearity were satisfactory over a wide range of MTX concentrations (5-1000 ng/ml). The quantitation limit was 5 ng/ml with a signal-to-noise ratio of 5. The method was suitable for the pharmacokinetic study of MTX in monkey.

Determination of methotrexate in human urine at nanomolar levels by high-performance liquid chromatography with column switching

An high-performance liquid chromatographic method with column switching for the detection of less than 4 ng of methotrexate in the urine of oncologic nurses is described. Urine samples were purified by solid-phase extraction on silica-bonded phenyl columns, eluting impurities with ethyl acetate. After elution from the column, the analyte was concentrated ten-fold, evaporating the solvent. On a strong anion-exchange column (Nucleosil 100 SB), methotrexate was separated from the remaining interfering substances, was then switched to a reversed-phase column (LiChrospher 100 RP-18e), and finally eluted by a linear gradient in a solvent system consisting of ammonium formate buffer (pH 2.7) and acetonitrile. Absorbance was monitored at 310 nm. This method has proved to be suitable for detecting traces of methotrexate in urine in order to individualize risks and to reduce further the occupational safety hazard for hospital personnel.

Chromatographic analysis of anticancer drugs

The present review on the methods for the analysis of anticancer drugs should be seen as an addition to the excellent work of Eksborg and Ehrsson published half a decade ago in this journal (Vol. 340, p.31). The style and format have been followed closely, with the focus again on chromatographic techniques. We felt it important to add a list of compound (group) structures as a service to the reader. Methods have been reviewed for alkylating agents, platinum compounds, antitumour antibiotics, antimetabolites, alkaloids, suramin, 1-hydroxy-3-amino-propylidene-1,1-bisphosphonate and tamoxifen.

Determination of methotrexate and its major metabolite, 7-hydroxymethotrexate, using capillary zone electrophoresis and laser-induced fluorescence detection

High-dosage methotrexate therapy requires careful monitoring of the drug in serum to ensure minimal toxic effects. A simple, rapid and sensitive method for the separation and quantitation of methotrexate and its major metabolite, 7-hydroxymethotrexate, using high-voltage capillary zone electrophoresis combined with laser-induced fluorescence detection is described. The detection limit for methotrexate is as low as 5.10(-10) M (signal-to-noise ratio = 3), while that for 7-hydroxymethotrexate is 2.10(-9) M. The linearity of the system extends over nearly four orders of magnitude for both methotrexate and 7-hydroxymethotrexate. The extraction efficiency for the drug and its metabolite from serum is 80-85% using a Sep-Pak C18 cartridge. Quantitation of methotrexate in serum was possible in the 10(-10) M range, nearly two orders of magnitude lower than that currently obtainable by existing methods. Good correlation (r = 0.99) for serum methotrexate concentrations was obtained with an enzyme-multiplied immunoassay technique. Comparison with an enzyme inhibition assay also provided similar results.