A radioimmunoassay for the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor ramipril and its active metabolite.

A radioimmunoassay (RIA) has been developed for the measurement of 2-[N-[(S)-1-ethoxycarbonyl-3-phenylpropyl]-L-alanyl]-(1S,3S,5S)- 2-azabicyclo[3.3.0]octane-3-carboxylic acid (ramipril, Hoe 498) and its active metabolite (diacid: hydrolysis product of ramipril) in serum or plasma. Antibodies to the diacid were raised in rabbits against a lysine analogue conjugated to bovine serum albumin. A 125I-ramipril-diacid derivative was used as radioligand. Separation of the antibody-bound and free radiolabeled ligand was achieved by employing a polyethylene glycol solution. The RIA is specific for the active metabolite (diacid). Studies on specificity showed less than 0.6% cross-reactivity with intact ramipril or with dioxopiperazine metabolites. The levels for intact ramipril were obtained by prior enzymatic hydrolysis to the diacid. The sensitivity of the assay was 0.1 and 0.5 ng/ml for diacid and ramipril, respectively. Intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation ranged from 3 to 14% at 1 to 30 ng diacid per ml. A recovery experiment yielded an average of 103%. The assay has been used to investigate the pharmacokinetic profile of both ramipril and its pharmacologically active metabolite.