Chromatographic separation of antiviral/anticancer nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor drugs.

This paper discusses the current methods used for quantitative determination of analogues of nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NtRTIs) in body fluids, cells, and tissues. Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) prodrugs given to AIDS/herpes/cancer patients conjugate with phosphates at the site of their action. Separation of phosphorylated NRTIs is generally performed by reversed-phase chromatography. After separation, plasma NRTIs can be detected using a variety of methods, including immunoassay through monitoring of UV absorbance, fluorescence, and mass spectrometry. The most recent development in the field of detection of plasma NtRTIs shows a tendency toward the use double- or triple-focusing mass spectrometry, the most specific and sensitive monitoring technique.