Suramin Determination by Capillary Electrophoresis

Abstract

Suramin is an anti-prostate-tumor drug, which has a narrow therapeutic range and long half-life. For these reasons, frequent monitoring of the drug is required to minimize toxicity. A rapid assay to measure suramin levels in serum by CE is described here. Serum samples deproteinized with acetonitrile (containing 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine as internal standard) were electro-phoresed for 2.5 min at 15 KV in a CAPSO buffer (63 mmol/L) pH 9.7 with detection at 254 nm. The test by area under the peak is linear between 50–500 mg/L. The effects of several factors such as voltage, buffer pH and ionic strength on peak height and migration time were studied. This method demonstrates the potential of CE in the clinical chemistry laboratory.