Combined thin-layer chromatography-photography-densitometry for the quantitation of cyclophosphamide and its four principal urinary metabolites.

A novel method for the quantitative determination of the anti-cancer drug cyclophosphamide and its principal urinary metabolites 4-oxocyclophosphamide, carboxyphosphamide, phosphoramide mustard and bis(2-chloroethyl)amine has been devised. The assay combines adsorption of drug-related material onto Amberlite XAD-2 and thin-layer chromatography with spot visualization using 4-(4-nitrobenzyl)pyridine, rapid photography and densitometry. The intra-assay coefficient of variation for each compound was less than 6%. The limit of detection of the assay was 1 microgram ml-1 for cyclophosphamide, phosphoramide mustard and bis(2-chloroethyl)amine and 0.5 microgram ml-1 for 4-oxocyclophosphamide and carboxyphosphamide. The method was validated for cyclophosphamide and 4-oxocyclophosphamide using gas chromatography. It is concluded that the method provides the first means of determining the full metabolic spectrum for cyclophosphamide in patients without recourse to the administration of radioisotopically labelled drug.