Decontamination efficacy of hypochlorous acid water on cyclophosphamide and 5-fluorouracil residues

Mayumi  Nakaishi; Koki Takeda; Asako Nishimura; Akiko Kiriyama; Nobuhito Shibata

doi:10.38022/ajhp.v5i4.111

Mayumi Nakaishi Graduate Student, Department of Medical Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts, Kyotanabe, Kyoto610-0395, Japan
Koki Takeda Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts, Kyotanabe, Kyoto610-0395, Japan
Asako Nishimura Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts, Kyotanabe, Kyoto610-0395, Japan
Akiko Kiriyama Professor, Department of Pharmacokinetics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts, Kyotanabe, Kyoto610-0395, Japan
Nobuhito Shibata Professor, Department of Medical Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts, Kyotanabe, Kyoto610-0395, Japan
nshibata@dwc.doshisha.ac.jp

DOI https://doi.org/10.38022/ajhp.v5i4.111

Abstract

Hypochlorous acid water (HAW) is widely used for disinfection in medical settings, yet its ability to decompose hazardous anticancer drug residues remains unclear. This study evaluated the decontamination efficacy of HAW on anticancer drugs by examining their decomposition kinetics, using sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) as a reference. Cyclophosphamide (CPA) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) were tested with 0.02% HAW, NaClO at 0.02%, 0.2%, and 2%, and ozone water. Decomposition kinetics were monitored, and cytotoxicity of drug–decontaminant mixtures was assessed using the MTT assay. HAW rapidly decomposed both drugs, with no detectable CPA after 5 minutes, while NaClO degraded CPA more slowly and showed concentration-dependent equilibrium for 5-FU. In the MTT assay, CPA mixed with either HAW or NaClO produced cytotoxic products, whereas 5-FU mixtures showed no cytotoxicity. These findings suggest that HAW is more effective than NaClO in decomposing CPA and 5-FU and could be a promising agent for removing anticancer drug residues, although the potential cytotoxicity of decomposition products should be considered when applying HAW for surface decontamination in clinical settings.

Keywords: hypochlorous acid water, sodium hypochlorite, decontamination, antineoplastic drugs, cytotoxicity, pharmacy practice

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