POLAROGRAPHIC TESTING OF CARCINOGENICITY OF SOME CHEMOTHERAPEUTICS

This work is devoted to the study of polarographic reduction of three antibiotic compounds including adriamycin, chloramphenicol and erythro mycin and of a synthetic antibacterial chemotherapeutic compound - 5-n itrofurantoin. The polarographic reduction was performed in the strict ly anhydrous N,N-dimethylformamide with or without alpha-lipoic acid ( LA) by the means of DC polarography. The values of half-wave potential s E-1/2 and parameter of potential carcinogenicity were determined for the all compounds. Adriamycin was reduced during the five-step proces s, other compounds were reduced in two steps. The presence of LA in a polarographic solution resulted in a new polarographic one-electron wa ve in the range of -1.120 V to -1.790 V vs. SCE possessing a diffuse a nd reversible character. Its height is linearly dependent on the LA co ncentration in solution. The highest parameter of potential carcinogen icity tg ct was determined for adriamycin (0.575) which belongs among compounds classified by WHO as ''probably carcinogenic to humans''. Th e lowest determined value of parameter tg cc belonged to 5-nitrofurant oin (0.290) which has not yet been included into the IARC classificati on.