Rapid analytic method for adriamycin and metabolites in human plasma by a thin-film fluorescence scanner.

A rapid and highly sensitive method is described for the quantitative determination of adriamycin and metabolites in plasma. Adriamycin (Ad) with daunorubicin added as the internal standard was extracted from plasma with chloroform-isopropanol (1:1), separated by thin-layer chromatography (TLC), and quantitated in situ via a fluorescence scanning technique. This method represents one of the very few reliable quantitative TLC methods and is suitable for the routine determination of Ad in plasma in amounts as low as 2 ng/ml. Plasma Ad levels at 24 hours in rabbits and in patients both given a 1-mg/kg dose, previously regarded as difficult to be measured, are now easily measurable using as little as 0.5 ml of plasma. Multiple samples (ten to 15) can be analyzed by this method within a day.