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Liquid Scintillation Spectrometry of 5-Fluorouracil in Cervical Tissue Following in Vitro Surface Application of a Bioadhesive Cervical Patch

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Abstract

The potential use of bioadhesive technology for the treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia was investigated. A cervical patch was designed containing 5-fluorouracil in a bioadhesive matrix and polyvinyl chloride as the backing layer. The concentration of 5-fluorouracil at specified tissue depths from the cervical surface was determined in vitro in relation to the ability of the drug to reach precancerous foci in cervical crypts up to 4 mm below the tissue surface. Thus, tissue was exposed to drug-loaded patches spiked with 5-fluorouracil-6-3H and subsequently sectioned to obtain tissue slices at different depths. The concentration of 5-fluorouracil was determined by liquid scintillation spectrometry. Drug penetration into cervical tissue exceeded a depth of 5.5 mm. Furthermore, the concentration in the tissue depended on the drug loading in the patch. Patches containing 10 and 20 mg of 5-fluorouracil produced a linear drug gradient that was established after a 4 hour application of the patch and persisted over 24 hours. However, patches containing 3.5 mg of 5-fluorouracil displayed signs of drug exhaustion after 24 hours. The penetration characteristics of 5-fluorouracil through cervical tissue using the cervical patch delivery system were sufficiently favourable to warrant further clinical investigations.

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Woolfson, A.D., McCafferty, D.F., McCarron, P.A. et al. Liquid Scintillation Spectrometry of 5-Fluorouracil in Cervical Tissue Following in Vitro Surface Application of a Bioadhesive Cervical Patch. Pharm Res 11, 1315–1319 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018950613353

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018950613353

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