Quantitative analysis of phosphorothioate oligonucleotides in biological fluids using fast anion-exchange chromatography.

Phosphorothioate oligonucleotides are potentially useful as anti-viral drugs. Classical DNA extraction methods are not as effective on short single-stranded DNA as with longer double-stranced chains. The classical method of phenol-chloroform extraction followed by ethanol precipitation is difficult to quantify, thus monitoring of the pharmacological disposition of these compounds is subject to error. A method has been devised and validated for extraction and analysis of modified oligonucleotides from biological fluids such as urine and serum based on protein kinase digestion and phenol-chloroform extraction. Due to the high native ultraviolet absorbance of the oligomers, detection limits in the low ppb range were obtained without derivatization.