Fluorescence assays and pharmacokinetic studies of 4'-deoxydoxorubicin and doxorubicin in organs of mice bearing solid tumors.

The pharmacokinetic of 4'-deoxydoxorubicin, a new analog of doxorubicin, was compared with that of its parent compound in mice treated with equal and equiactive doses. The levels of total fluorescence due to the initial drugs and to metabolites were determined in tissue extracts by fluorometry. 4'-Deoxydoxorubicin reached the same tissue levels as doxorubicin in all the organs tested except in spleen and lung, where a higher peak was found in the animals treated with the new analog. The rate of elimination of 4'-deoxydoxorubicin from the organs tested was higher than that of doxorubicin.