Determination of the serum concentration of spironolactone and its metabolites by high-performance liquid chromatography.

A simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic assay is described for the simultaneous determination in serum of the aldosterone antagonist spironolactone and its metabolites 7 alpha-thiomethylspirolactone, 6 beta-hydroxy-7 alpha-thiomethylspirolactone and canrenone. Ultraviolet absorption at 240 nm was used to detect the different compounds after elution on a normal-phase column. Endogenous serum substances did not interfere with the assay. This method provides a convenient tool in pharmacokinetic studies of spironolactone, in contrast to previously reported aspecific fluorimetric assays or time-consuming thin-layer chromatographic analyses of radioactive biological material.