Stereoselective determination of mepivacaine in human serum using a brush-type chiral stationary phase and solid-phase extraction.

A stereoselective high-performance liquid chromatography assay method was developed for the quantitation of R-(+)- and S-(-)-mepivacaine in human serum. The assay uses a Pirkle brush-type (S)-tert.-leucine, (R)-1-(alpha-naphthyl)ethylamine stationary phase (Sumichiral OA-4700, 250 x 4 mm I.D.) at ambient temperature with a mobile phase of hexane-ethylenedichloride-absolute methanol (85:10:5, v/v) for the separation of R-(+)- and S-(-)-mepivacaine. The eluents were monitored using UV detection at 220 nm. Isolation of the analytes from serum was performed using a 1-ml C18 solid-phase extraction cartridge with high recovery and selectivity. The detection limits were 100 ng/ml for each enantiomer and the limits of quantitation were 150 ng/ml for both enantiomers. Linear calibration curves in the 150-2400 ng/ml range showed good correlation coefficients (r > 0.9994, n = 3). Precision and accuracy of the method were within 2.1-5.3 and 2.0-3.6%, respectively, for R-(+)-mepivacaine and 2.7-5.7% and 1.7-4.2%, respectively, for S-(-)-mepivacaine.