Determination of the urinary excretion of ifosfamide and its phosphorated metabolites by phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Summary Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to analyze urine samples obtained from patients treated with ifosfamide (IF). This technique allows the individual assay of all phosphorated metabolites of IF in a single analysis without the need for prior extraction. In addition to the classic IF metabolites 2-dechloroethylifosfamide (2DECIIF), 3-dechloroethylifosfamide (3DECIIF), carboxyifosfamide (CARBOXYIF), and iso-phosphoramide mustard (IPM), several signals corresponding to unknown phosphorated compounds were observed. Four of them were identified: one is alcoifosfamide (ALCOIF), two come from the degradation of 2,3-didechloroethylifosfamide (2,3-DECIIF), and one results from the decomposition of 2DECIIF. The total cumulative drug excretion as measured over 24 h in nine patients was 51% of the injected IF dose; 18% of the dose was recovered as unchanged IF. The major urinary metabolites were the dechloroethylated compounds, with 3DECIIF excretion (11% of the injected dose) always being superior to 2DECIIF elimination (4% of the injected dose). Degradation compounds of 2DECIIF and 2,3DECIIF represented 0.4% of the injected dose. The metabolites of the dechloroethylation pathway always predominated over those of the activation pathway (CARBOXYIF, ALCOIF, and IPM, representing 3%, 0.8%, and 0.2% of the injected dose, respectively). In all, 14% of the injected dose was excreted as unknown phosphorated compounds. The interpatient variation in levels of IF metabolites was obvious and involved all of the metabolites. Renal excretion was not complete at 24 h, since 11% of the injected dose was recovered in the 24- to 48-h urine samples.This research was financially supported by the Association pour la Recherche sur le Cancer (grant 6635) and by the Ligue Nationale Française contre le Cancer (Comité des Hautes-Pyrénées)