Determination of free and encapsulated cytarabine and daunorubicin in rat plasma after intravenous administration of liposomal formulation using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

Liposome encapsulating cytarabine (CYT) and daunorubicin (DNR) is applied for treating Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) patients. To evaluate and compare relationship between the pharmacokinetics of free drug (drug which is not entrapped in liposomes) and liposome-encapsulated drug and the toxicity/efficacy, it is crucial to have trustworthy methods for separating the free and the encapsulated of the drug. In this study, methods were developed and validated to isolate and measure the free DNR/CYT (F-DNR/CYT), the encapsulated DNR/CYT (E-DNR/CYT) and the total DNR/CYT (T-DNR/CYT) in rat plasma.

Steroids and sesquiterpenoids from the soft corals Dendronephthya gigantea and Lemnalia cervicorni.

One new cytotoxic steroid, dendronesterone A (1), two new steroids, dendronesterones B and C (2 and 3), and a known steroid (4) were isolated from the methylene chloride solubles of the Formosan soft coral Dendronephthya gigantea. Two cytotoxic ylangene-type sesquiterpenoids, lemnalol (5) and the new compound cervicol (6), as well as two ylangene-type sesquiterpenoids, isolemnalol (7) (a new compound) and 4-oxo-alpha-ylangene (8), were isolated from the methylene chloride solubles of the Formosan soft coral Lemnalia cervicorni. Their structures were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR spectral analysis, and their cytotoxicity against selected cancer cells was measured in vitro.

New cadinene sesquiterpenoids from the Formosan soft coral Xenia puerto-galerae.

Six new cadinene sesquiterpenoids, xenitorins A-F (1-6), were isolated from the methylene chloride solubles of the Formosan soft coral Xenia puerto-galerae. The structures were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR spectral analysis, and their cytotoxicity against selected cancer cells was measured in vitro.