Development of a Probe Based on UiO-66 MOF for Determination of Paclitaxel in Urine Samples

Abstract

Introduction: Accurate and precise determination of paclitaxel is crucial due to its widespread use as a frontline treatment for various types of cancer, as well as its implementation in various drug delivery strategies. The objective of this study was to validate a facile fluorescent probe utilizing the UiO-66 metal-organic framework (MOF) to quantify paclitaxel in urine samples. Results: In the presence of paclitaxel and proportional to its concentration, the fluorescence intensity of UiO-66 MOF gradually decreased due to the formation a non-fluorescent complex during the interaction of paclitaxel and UiO-66 MOF. This platform demonstrated a linear response within the paclitaxel concentration range of 0.01 to 1.5 μg.mL−1, with a detection limit of 0.007 μg.mL−1. The UiO-66 MOF based probe's relative standard deviation for five replicated measurements of paclitaxel were 1.4% and 2.6% (n=5) for intra-day and inter-day, respectively. Conclusion: The results indicated that this robust and low-cost fluorescent probe was a promising platform for analyzing paclitaxel in clinical applications.

Keywords: UiO-66 MOFs, Fluorescent probe, Paclitaxel, Urine