Comparison of UV derivative-spectrophotometry and partial least-squares (PLS-1) calibration for determination of methotrexate and leucovorin in biological fluids

Binary mixtures of methotrexate (MTX) and leucovorin (LV) have been resolved by application of first-derivative spectrophotometry and partial least squares calibration (PLS-1). By measuring the first-derivative signals of MTX and LV at 354 and 300 nm, respectively, simultaneous determination was possible. The mean recoveries for urine samples were 91 and 96% for MTX and LV, respectively. Partial least squares (PLS-1) multivariate calibration has been applied to the determination of these compounds in serum and in urine without pretreatment of the samples. The absorption spectra of serum or urine samples spiked with methotrexate and/or leucovorin, were used to optimize the calibration matrixes by the PLS-1 method. The sensitivity and selectivity of the proposed procedures were calculated. Mean recoveries were 101 and 97% for MTX and LV, respectively, for serum samples, and 101 and 98% for MTX and LV, respectively, for urine samples.