Exploration of two methods for quantitative Mitomycin C measurement in tumor tissue in vitro and in vivo

Two methods of quantifying Mitomycin C in tumor tissue are explored. A method of ultraviolet-visible absorption microscopy is developed and applied to measure the concentration of Mitomycin C in preserved mouse tumor tissue, as well as in gelatin samples. Concentrations as low as 60 μM can be resolved using this technique in samples that do not strongly scatter light. A novel method for monitoring the Mitomycin C concentrations inside a tumor is developed, based on microdialysis and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. A pump is used to perfuse a microdialysis probe with Ringer's solution, which is fed to a flow cell to determine intratumor concentrations in real time to within a few μM. The success and limitations of these techniques are identified, and suggestions are made as to further development. To the authors' knowledge these are the first attempts made to quantify Mitomycin C concentrations in tumor tissue.