SIMPLE HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHIC METHOD FOR THE QUANTITATION OF 5-FLUOROURACIL IN HUMAN PLASMA

A simple, rapid, specific and sensitive high-performance liquid chroma tography method has been developed for quantitation of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in human plasma. The method involves deproteinization of a smal l sample volume of plasma (150 mu l) followed by HPLC on a cation-exch ange resin column, Aminex HPX-87H (300X7.8 mm I.D.), preceded by a sim ilar guard cartridge with UV detection at 265 nm. This method allows a good separation of 5-FU with a retention time of 24 min and a detecti on limit at 25 ng/ml. The calibration curve was linear from 25 to 2000 ng/ml. The coefficient of variation was less than or equal to 4.4% fo r within-day reproducibility and less than or equal to 9.5% for day-to -day reproducibility.