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Title: Thermospray liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry of thiol radioprotective agents: Characteristics spectra. Scientific report

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5631041

Ethiofos (S-2(3-aminopropylamino)ethylphosphorothioic acid or WR-2721) is currently being evaluated in clinical radiotherapy trials (Kligerman et al., 1980) because of its potential for enhancing the efficacy of radiotherapy (Kligerman et al., 1980; Yuhas and Storer, 1969). For proper drug usage and pharmacological studies, it is necessary to assess the stability of the aminothiol and the presence of impurities or decomposition products. In addition, monitoring the plasma levels of WR-2721 and its metabolites should improve the therapeutic usefulness of WR-2721. Several high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methodologies have been developed that are applicable for routine analysis of aminothiols and endogeneous cellular thiols (Newton et al., 1981; Swynnerton et al., 1984). One of these methodologies, electrochemical detection, permits the simultaneous detection of the free thiol and the disulfides (Swynnerton et al. 1984). Mass spectrometry (MS) is a sensitive technique that can confirm purity and provide useful structural information. Using a thermospray interface, samples can be introduced into the mass spectrometer from a liquid chromatograph (LC) (Vestal, 1984). The interface thermally nebulizes the eluant into a high-pressure region of the mass spectrometer where a variety of soft-ionization techniques may be used to ionize the analyte molecules. The feasibility of LC coupled to MS-detection was studied for the analysis of thiol-containing radioprotective agents, including glutathione, WR-2721, and WR-1065, the dephosphorylated sulfhydryl form of WR-2721, which has been shown to be its active radioprotective metabolite (Calabro-Jones et al., 1983).

Research Organization:
Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Inst., Bethesda, MD (USA)
OSTI ID:
5631041
Report Number(s):
AD-A-207917/6/XAB; AFRRI-SR-89-13
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Pub. in Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Vol. 39, 219-221(1988)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English