Capecitabine is a pre-prodrug of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). After oral uptake, capecitabine is first metabolized to 5'-deoxy-5-fluorocytidine (5'-DFCR), which happens mainly in the liver by carboxyl-esterase. The metabolite is converted to 5'-deoxy-5-fluoro-uridine (5'-DFUR) by cytidine deaminase in liver and tumor tissue. Then 5'-DFUR is converted to 5-FU intracellularly by thymidine phosphorylase, which is often expressed in tumor tissue.
Solubility:Soluble in DMSO at 100mg/ml; soluble in ethanol at 12.5mg/ml with slight warming; soluble in water at 2mg/ml with slight warming; buffers, serum, or other additives may increase or decrease the aqueous solubility.
Storage and Stability:May be stored at RT for short-term only. Long-term storage is recommended at -20°C. For maximum recovery of product, centrifuge the original vial prior to removing the cap.