Determination of anti-tumor agent bis(p-fluorobenzyl)trisulfide and its degraded compound in rat blood using reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography

Bis(p-fluorobenzyl)trisulfide (BFTS) demonstrated a broad spectrum of anti-proliferative activity and in vivo anti-tumor efficacy in human xenograft mice models. BFTS is rapidly degraded to its major metabolite bis(p-fluorobenzyl)disulfide (BFDS) in blood. In this study, we developed a reliable procedure for stable storage and treatment of blood samples containing BFTS. An HPLC assay method was developed and validated for the quantitative determination of BFTS and BFDS in rat blood. The developed procedure and method have been successfully utilized to study the concentration–time curves of BFTS and BFDS in the blood of rats after vein injection of 12.5 mg kg−1 BFTS.