Silver catalyzed Fluorouracil degradation; a promising new role for graphene

TL;DR

This study reveals that silver catalyzes the degradation of fluorouracil, releasing harmful HF, and proposes graphene coatings as a promising solution to prevent this reaction and improve chemotherapy device safety.

Contribution

It uncovers a previously overlooked chemical reaction between silver and fluorouracil and suggests graphene as an effective coating to inhibit this degradation.

Findings

Silver catalyzes fluorouracil decomposition, releasing HF.

Graphene coatings inhibit the reaction, offering improved device safety.

Degradation impacts chemotherapy efficacy and device integrity.

Abstract

Chemotherapy treatment usually involves the delivery of fluorouracil (5-Fu) together with other drugs through central venous catheters. Catheters and their connectors are increasingly coated (or impregnated) with silver or argentic alloys/compounds. Complications such as broken catheters are common, leading to additional suffering for patients and increased medical costs. Here, we uncover a likely cause of such failure through a study of the surface chemistry relevant to chemotherapy drug delivery, i.e. between 5-Fu and silver. We show that silver catalytically decomposes 5-Fu, releasing HF as a product. This reaction compromises the efficacy of the treatment, and at the same time, releases HF which is damaging to both patient and catheter. Our study not only reveals an important reaction which has so far been overlooked, but additionally allows us to propose that graphene coatings inhibit such a reaction and offer superior performance for cancer treatment applications.