Alkaline Hydrolytic Pathway of the Antitumor Drug, Cyclophosphamide

Abstract

In an attempt to clarify the alkaline hydrolytic pathway of the antitumor agent, cyclophosphamide (CP), the time course of its degradation was monitored by ³¹P NMR in 0.5 M KOH solution. After 16 hr at 25°C. 70% of CP is hydrolyzed (t_½ 9 hr) leading to a mixture of 8 phosphorated compounds. among them only 4 represented more than 5% of the initial CP. The chemical shifts and the intensities of these compounds were as follows: 1 1 .1 ppm. 30% of the initial CP (compound 1); 9.5 ppm, 12% (compound 2); 6.4 ppm, 9% (unknown) and 4.8 ppm, 9% (compound 3). The structures of compounds 1–3 were identified by NMR (13C and IH) and mass spectrometry after their isolation. The major degradation compound formed, the nine-membered ring compound I, was also observed during CP hydrolysis at neutral or moderately acid pHsill and was detected in urine of patients treated with CP[2] Compounds 2 and 3 were also formed during the hydrolysis of compound I in 0.5 M KOH solution. Based on the formation in time of the 31P NMR signals in KOH solutions of CP and compound I, the following scheme was established for the major degradation alkaline pathway of CP.