Pharmacokinetic analysis of doxifluridine and its metabolites, 5-fluorouracil and 5-fluorouridine, after oral administration in beagle dogs

Doxifluridine (5'-deoxy-5-fluorouridine, 5'-dFUR) is a fluoropyrimidine derivative that is activated preferentially in malignant cells by thymidine phosphorylase to form 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). The purpose of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetic properties of doxifluridine and its two major metabolites, 5-FU, and 5-fluorouridine (5-FUrd), in beagle dogs following a single oral administration of 200 mg doxifluridine capsule (Furtulon(®)). After the administration of 200 mg of Furtulon to 23 beagle dogs, the plasma concentrations of doxifluridine, 5-FU, and 5-FUrd were measured simultaneously, using LC-MS/MS. The parent-metabolite compartment model with first-order absorption and Michaelis-Menten kinetics described the pharmacokinetics of doxifluridine, 5-FU, and 5-FUrd. Michaelis-Menten kinetics sufficiently explained the generation and elimination processes of 5-FU and 5-FUrd. The studies described here are the first to evaluate the relationship between pharmacokinetics of doxifluridine and its metabolites in dogs, and these findings will help in understanding the toxicity mechanism of doxifluridine.