Improved enantiospecific RP-HPLC assays for propranolol in plasma and urine with pronethalol as internal standard.

For the enantiospecific assay of propranolol in biological material, formation of diastereomeric derivatives is one possible approach. The aim of the present study was the development and optimization of three analytical methods based on different chiral reagents: phenylethylisocyanate and the acyl chloride as well as the isocyanate that are derived from the fluorescent S-flunoxaprofen. Pronethalol is used as internal standard in all three procedures and improves the coefficients of variation significantly. After extraction from human plasma or urine, propanolol is reacted with one of these compounds in anhydrous organic solvents with addition of triethylamine. The diastereomeric derivatives are then resolved on an octadecylsilane column using mixtures of water and methanol with or without addition of glacial acetic acid. Good resolutions of the diastereomeric derivatives are found under these conditions. Conjugates are cleaved prior to analysis using beta-glucuronidase-arylsulfatase and assayed as parent propranolol enantiomers. All three procedures were suitable for analysis of propranolol enantiomers in biological samples in the lower nanogram range (1-2 ng/mL). A preliminary clinical study confirmed the known enantiospecificity in the pharmacokinetics of propranolol and showed high concentrations of conjugates with R/S ratios that were similar to those of the parent enantiomers.