O comportamento eletroquímico da deferiprona, droga anti-talassêmica e anti-replicação do HIV foi investigado, por voltametria cíclica (VC), utilizando um eletrodo de platina. Observaram-se dois picos anódicos irreversíveis para a deferiprona, em tampão acetato (pH 4,0) com E 0 1 = 875 mV e E 0 2 = 1235 mV (vs. Ag/AgCl) em velocidade de varredura de 50 mV s -1 . Os estudos de voltametria cíclica indicaram que o processo de oxidação é irreversível e controlado por difusão. Foram encontrados, para a deferiprona, coeficientes de difusão e de transferência de elétrons de 3,50 × 10 -6 cm 2 s -1 e 0,57, respectivamente. Foi desenvolvido um procedimento sensível, simples e rápido, utilizando voltametria de pulso diferencial. Utilizando este método, a deferiprona pode ser determinada com um limite de detecção de 1,43 × 10 -5 mol L -1 . É descrita a aplicabilidade do método em ensaios diretos em soro humano enriquecido, fluidos urinários e em comprimidos comerciais.The electrochemical behavior of the anti-thalassemia and anti-HIV replication drug, deferiprone, was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) at a platinum electrode. In an acetate buffer solution, pH = 4.0, two irreversible anodic peaks for deferiprone, with E 0 1 = 875 mV and E 0 2 = 1235 mV (vs. Ag/AgCl) appeared at a potential sweep rate of 50 mV s -1 . Cyclic voltammetric study indicated that the oxidation process is irreversible and diffusion-controlled. The diffusion and the electron transfer coefficients of deferiprone were found to be 3.50 × 10 -6 cm 2 s -1 and 0.57, respectively. A sensitive, simple and time-saving differential pulse voltammetric procedure was developed. Using our proposed method, deferiprone can be determined with a detection limit of 1.43 × 10 -5 mol L -1 . The applicability of the method to direct assays of spiked human serum and urine fluids, and to commercial tablets, is described.Keywords: deferiprone, anti-thalassemia drug, platinum electrode, iron chelator, HIV-1 replication inhibitor
IntroductionDeferiprone (1,2-dimethyl-3-hydroxypyridin-4-one, Scheme 1) is the first oral iron chelator to be used clinically, mainly in thalassemia patients. 1,2 Deferiprone belongs to the family of the alpha-ketohydroxypyridines, a relatively new class of chelating agents, some of which are naturally occurring. These chelators have a high affinity for binding iron, and are able to remove it from proteins that are transporting and storing it in the body, largely sparing other biologically important metals. They are stable in conditions that exist in the human digestive system and are readily absorbed. Deferiprone can remove excess iron from various parts of the body of iron-loaded patients, including liver and, particularly, heart. 1 This drug is also used worldwide to treat cancer, leukemia, in hemodialysis and other diseases. It is worthy noting that the drug deferiprone may be used in the detoxification of other metals, such as aluminum in hemodialysis patients, plutonium used in the nuclear industry and uranium used by the military. [3][4][5...