CHEMICAL TOXICOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF ZIDOVUDINE

Introduction. Zidovudine is the first antiviral agent to treat HIV infection and viral hepatitis. The compound belongs to a group of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. It is used as part of combination therapy that may include drugs of different pharmacological groups. There may be cases of toxic reactions due to the rather complex and long-term treatment of HIV infection. The pharmaceutical analysis of zidovudine in drug substance and dosage forms is based on the use of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC); the analyzed literature lacks data from the chemical toxicological analysis of zidovudine and its combinations with other drugs. Objective: to develop a procedure for isolating, identifying, and quantifying zidovudine in biological objects. Material and methods. The investigation objects were aqueous zidovudine solutions and zidovudine-containing model mixtures of urine, saliva, and liver. Zidovudine was isolated using liquid-liquid and solid-phase extraction methods. Thin layer chromatography (TLC), UV spectrophotometry, and HPLC were used to identify and quantify the drug. Results. Conditions for extracting zidovudine from aqueous solutions were selected and procedures for isolating zidovudine from biological objects by liquid-liquid and solid-phase extraction methods were developed. Zidovudine in the extracts was identified and quantified by TLC, UV spectrophotometry, and HPLC. Conclusion. The procedures for isolating, identifying, and quantifying zidovudine in the biological objects have been developed and validated. There is evidence that the procedures are suitable to carry out a chemical toxicological analysis of zidovudine.

zidovudine, liquid-liquid extraction, solid phase extraction, spectrophotometry, high performance liquid chromatography