Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Vol.440, No.1-2, 95-102, 1997
Electrochemical behaviour and micromolar determination of the antineoplastic agent azaribine and its mixtures with cytidine
Azaribine, an antineoplastic drug of the pyrimidinic antimetabolites group, has been studied by means of polarography, cyclic voltammetry, coulometry and spectrophotometry in buffered aqueous Britton-Robinson medium at pH ranged between 2.5 and 12.0, at room temperature (25 degrees C) and ionic strength 0.1 M. Ail acid-base equilibrium involving several proton donors present in the medium precedes the electrodic process, which is an overall two-electron process where the electroactive species is the azaribine acid form (neutral molecule) and the reducible group is the C(5)=N(6) double bond.The quantitative analysis of azaribine has been carried out using DPP at the optimum basal conditions. A detection limit of 0.2 mu M corresponding to azaribine has been estimated. Quantitative determination of cytidine + azaribine mixtures is undertaken as well, since both compounds can appear together in biological samples. Tile investigation is carried out at a micromolar level and a mean error of about 2% has been detected.