Enantioselective determination of arotinolol in human plasma by HPLC using teicoplanin chiral stationary phase

A sensitive enantioselective high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed and validated to determine S-(+)- and R-(-)-arotinolol in human plasma. Baseline resolution was achieved by using teicoplanin macrocyclic antibiotic chiral stationary phase (CSP) known as Chirobiotic T with a polar organic mobile phase consisting of methanol:glacial acetic acid:triethylamine, 100:0.1:0.1, (v/v/v) at a fl ow rate of 0.8 mL/min and UV detection set at 317 nm. Human plasma was spiked with stock solution of arotinolol enantiomers and labetalol as the internal standard. The assay involved the use of liquid-liquid extraction procedure with ethyl ether under alkaline condition for human plasma sample prior to HPLC analysis. Recoveries for S-(+)- and R-(-)-arotinolol enantiomers were in the range 93-103% at 200-1400 ng/mL level. Intra-day and inter-day precision calculated as %RSD was in the ranges 1.3-3.4 and 1.9-4.5% for both enantiomers, respectively. Intra-day and inter-day accuracies calculated as percentage error were in the ranges 1.2-3.5 and 1.5-6.2% for both enantiomers, respectively. Linear calibration curves in the concentration range 100-1500 ng/mL for each enantiomer showed a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.9998. The limit of quantitation (LOQ) and limit of detection (LOD) for each enantiomer in human plasma were 100 and 50 ng/mL (S/N = 3), respectively.     

Development and Validation of a Chiral Liquid Chromatographic Assay for Enantiomeric Separation and Quantification of Verapamil in Rat Plasma: Stereoselective Pharmacokinetic Application

A novel, fast and sensitive enantioselective HPLC assay with a new core–shell isopropyl carbamate cyclofructan 6 (superficially porous particle, SPP) chiral column (LarihcShell-P, LSP) was developed and validated for the enantiomeric separation and quantification of verapamil (VER) in rat plasma. The polar organic mobile phase composed of acetonitrile/methanol/trifluoroacetic acid/triethylamine (98:2:0.05: 0.025, v/v/v/v) and a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min was applied. Fluorescence detection set at excitation/emission wavelengths 280/313 nm was used and the whole analysis process was within 3.5 min, which is 10-fold lower than the previous reported HPLC methods in the literature. Propranolol was selected as the internal standard. The S-(−)- and R-(+)-VER enantiomers with the IS were extracted from rat plasma by utilizing Waters Oasis HLB C18 solid phase extraction cartridges without interference from endogenous compounds. The developed assay was validated following the US-FDA guidelines over the concentration range of 1–450 ng/mL (r² ≥ 0.997) for each enantiomer (plasma) and the lower limit of quantification was 1 ng/mL for both isomers. The intra- and inter-day precisions were not more than 11.6% and the recoveries of S-(−)- and R-(+)-VER at all quality control levels ranged from 92.3% to 98.2%. The developed approach was successfully applied to the stereoselective pharmacokinetic study of VER enantiomers after oral administration of 10 mg/kg racemic VER to Wistar rats. It was found that S-(−)-VER established higher C_max and area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) values than the R-(+)-enantiomer. The newly developed approach is the first chiral HPLC for the enantiomeric separation and quantification of verapamil utilizing a core–shell isopropyl carbamate cyclofructan 6 chiral column in rat plasma within 3.5 min after solid phase extraction (SPE).     

Enantiomeric separation and quantification of pindolol in human plasma by chiral liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry using staggered injection with a CTC Trio Valve system

Pindolol is a non-selective beta-adrenergic antagonist (beta-blocker) for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and angina pectoris. It has one chiral center, and, therefore, two optical isomers. It was essential to develop an enantioselective assay to measure each enantiomer in human plasma. However, separation of enantiomers using chiral chromatography usually requires relatively long retention times. This can pose a problem for rapid turnaround of a large number of samples (i.e., clinical studies). In the present study, a simple and sensitive chiral liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the determination of S-(-)- and R-(+)-pindolol in human plasma. To increase throughput, staggered sample injection was employed using a CTC Trio Valve system on a CTC HTS PAL autosampler. The method exhibited good intra- and inter-day accuracy and precision, and was linear over a dynamic range of 250 pg/mL to 250 ng/mL for each pindolol enantiomer. Intra- and inter-day accuracy ranged between 90.0-106% and 91.6-104% for both quality control (QC) samples of S-(-)- and R-(+)-pindolol, respectively. The respective intra- and inter-day precision ranged between 4.24-7.86% and 4.98-10.4%.     

Determination of saterinone enantiomers in plasma samples with an internal standard using a Chiralcel OD column, fractionation and reversed-phase chromatography

A specific and validated high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the determination of the S-(-) and R-(+) enantiomers of saterinone. 1-[(4-cyano-1,2-dihydro-6-methyl-2-oxopyridin-5-yl)phenoxyl] -3-[4-(2- methoxyphenyl)piperazin-1-yl]propan-2-ol, in plasma at the low ng/ml level. The enantiomers of saterinone and an internal standard, 1-[(4-cyano-1,2-dihydro-6-methyl-2-oxo-pyridin-5-yl)phenoxy]-3-[4-(2- ethoxyphenyl)piperazin-1-yl]propan-2-ol, were chromatographed on a chiral Chiralcel OD stationary phase. However, the S-(-) enantiomers of saterinone and the internal standard were unresolved, as were the R-(+) enantiomers of both substances. Therefore, the two fractions were collected and each was separately resolved on an achiral Polyencap A reversed-phase column and quantified. The detection limit was 0.5 ng/ml of enantiomer, allowing the determination of plasma levels up to 36 h after oral administration of 90, 150 and 180 mg of saterinone to twelve subjects.     

Determination of the enantiomeric impurity in S-(-)pantoprazole using high performance liquid chromatography with sulfobutylether-beta-cyclodextrin as chiral additive

A new and accurate HPLC method using sulfobutylether-beta-cyclodextrin (SBE-beta-CD) as chiral mobile phase additive (CMPA) was developed and validated for the determination of R-(+)pantoprazole in S-(-)pantoprazole. The influences of type and concentration of CD, ACN content and buffer pH of mobile phase on the resolution and retention of enantiomers were investigated. A baseline resolution of pantoprazole enantiomers was achieved on a Spherigel C18 column (150 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) using ACN and 10 mM phosphate buffer (pH 2.5) containing 10 mM SBE-beta-CD (15:85 v/v) as mobile phase with a flow rate of 0.9 mL/min at 20 degrees C. The detection wavelength was set at 290 nm. The method was extensively validated in terms of accuracy, precision and linearity according to the International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines and proved to be robust. The LOD and LOQ for R-(+)pantoprazole were 0.2 and 0.5 microg/mL, respectively, with 5 microL injection volume. A good linear relationship was obtained in the concentration range of 0.5-6.0 microg/mL with r(2) >0.999 for R-(+)pantoprazole. The percentage recovery of the R-(+)pantoprazole ranged from 92.1 to 101.2 in bulk drug of S-(-)pantoprazole. The method is capable of determining a minimum limit of 0.05% w/w of R-enantiomer in S-(-)pantoprazole bulk samples.     

Recognition and simultaneous determination of ofloxacin enantiomers by synchronization-1st derivative fluorescence spectroscopy

Under controlling pH 3, R-(+)- and S-(-)-ofloxacin (OFLX) enantiomers can be well recognized and resolved by the synchronization-1st derivative fluorescence spectroscopic techniques, and the interference from urine blank also can be eliminated. The linear dynamic ranges are 0.36-2.16 (R), 0.36-2.89 and 3.16-31.6 mug/ml (S), respectively, for determining OFLX in urine samples. The limits of detection are 0.36 mug/ml (R) and the recoveries of R-(+)- and S-(-)-OFLX in urine samples are 97-104%. Relative standard deviation is <6.6%. Pharmacokinetic study of OFLX and levofloxacin shows that R-(+)- and S-(-)-ofloxacin reach their peak concentration in urine samples after a healthy subject has taken tablets for approximately 3 and 6 h, respectively. R-(+)-OFLX can be obviously detected in 5-6 h after a healthy subject has taken tablets, indicating the transformation of S-(-)- to R-(+)-OFLX enantiomer in human body (in vitro).     

Fast high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of mianserin and its metabolites in human plasma using monolithic silica column and solid phase extraction

A fast high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of mianserin (MIAN) and its metabolites desmethylmianserin (DMM), 8-hydroxymianserin (HM) and mianserin-N-oxide (MNO) in human plasma. Each compound, together with internal standard (propranolol) was extracted from the plasma matrix using solid phase extraction. Chromatographic resolution of the analytes was performed on a Chromolith Speed Rod monolithic silica column ( mm i.d.) under isocratic conditions using a mobile phase of 74:26 (v/v) 25 mM phosphate buffer (pH 5.3 adjusted with phosphoric acid): acetonitrile. The elution of the analytes were monitored at 292 mm and conducted at ambient temperature. Because of high column efficiency the mobile phase was pumped at a flow rate of 3.5 ml/min. The total run time of the assay was 5 min. The method was validated over the range of 10-200 ng/ml for MIAN, 10-150 ng/ml for DMM, 20-300 ng/ml for HM and 25-500 ng/ml for MNO. The method proved to be precise (within-run precision ranging from 1.6 to 6.9% R.S.D. and between-run precision ranging from 1.3 to 7.2% R.S.D.) and accurate (within-run accuracies ranged from 1.4 to 6.4% and between-run accuracies ranging from 1.5 to 4.5%). The mean absolute recoveries were 95.7, 94.8, 99.6, and 102.6% for MIAN, DMM, HM and MNO, respectively. The limit of quantitation (LOQ) for MIAN and DMM was 10 ng/ml and for HM and MNO were 20 and 25 ng/ml in human plasma, respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) for MIAN, DMM, HM and MNO was 5, 2.5, 10 and 15 ng/ml, respectively. The described method demonstrates the feasibility for employing monolithic columns to effect rapid bioanalytical HPLC analysis for the quantitative determination of MIAN and its major metabolites in human plasma.     

Determination of cicletanine enantiomers in plasma by high-performance capillary electrophoresis.

A sensitive and selective high-performance capillary electrophoresis procedure was developed for the determination of S(+) and R(-) enantiomers of cicletanine in human plasma. The procedure consisted in extraction of the drug with diethyl ether and analysis by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography in a fused-silica capillary using gamma-cyclodextrins in the run buffers and ultraviolet detection. The method was linear from 10 to 500 ng/ml and the limit of detection was 10 ng/ml for each enantiomer in plasma samples. The within-run precision of the method, expressed as relative standard deviation, was 10.4 and 9.6% at 25 ng/ml for S(+) and R(-) cicletanine, and 4.2 and 4.6% at 500 ng/ml, respectively. This method has been used to follow the time course of the concentrations of the cicletanine enantiomers in human plasma after a single therapeutic dose of cicletanine given by mouth.     

Direct determination of S-(-)- and R-(+)-propranolol glucuronide in rat hepatic microsomes by RP-HPLC

Propranolol, available commercially as a racemic mixture, is a non-selective beta-adrenergic blocking agent used in the treatment of hypertension, angina pectoris and cardiac arrhythmias. We have developed and validated an RP-HPLC assay method for direct determination of R-(+)- and S-(-)-propranolol glucuronide in rat hepatic microsomes to investigate the enantioselectivity of propranolol glucuronidation metabolism. A baseline separation of propranolol glucuronide enantiomers was achieved on a 5 microm reversed-phase ODS column, with a mixture of phosphate buffer (pH 3.5, 0.067 mol/L) and methanol (55:45, v/v) as mobile phase. Ultraviolet detection was set at 220 nm, and p-nitrobenzoic acid was used as internal standard. The standard curve of assay for R-(+)- and S-(-)-propranolol glucuronide in spiked microsomal incubate showed good linearity throughout the concentration range from 0.50 to 20.0 micromol/L. The analytical method affords average recovery of 99.8 and 100.1% for R-(+)- and S-(-)-propranolol glucuronide, respectively. The method provides a high sensitivity and good precision for R-(+)- and S-(-)-propranolol glucuronide (RSD < 10%). The LOD was 0.15 micromol/L and the LOQ was 0.5 micromol/L (RSD < 8%, n = 5) for both R-(+)- and S-(-)-propranolol glucuronide. The method is simple, precise and accurate, and is suitable for quantifying the propranolol glucuronides enantiomers in rat hepatic microsomes.     

Stereospecific high-performance liquid chromatographic assay of acebutolol in human plasma and urine

A sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic technique is described for the separation of R- and S-acebutolol in human plasma and urine. The procedure involves derivatization with the chiral reagent S-(+)-1-(1-naphthyl)ethyl isocyanate. The resulting diastereoisomers are quantified using normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (220/389 nm). Virtual baseline separation, free from interference, with achieved (resolution factor = 1.45). Excellent linearity (r greater than 0.998) was observed throughout the range 10-500 ng/l and 2-100 mg/l in plasma and urine, respectively. Inter-assay variability was less than 5% for each enantiomer at concentrations of 10 ng/ml. This method is applicable for the determination of the pharmacokinetics, in man, of acebutolol enantiomers in plasma and urine.     

Determination of the enantiomeric composition of ibuprofen in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

A normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method, using a hexane-ethyl acetate solvent system, for the determination of the enantiomeric composition of ibuprofen in human plasma is described. The method is based on the resolution of the diastereoisomeric amides formed on reaction of the ibuprofen enantiomers with S-1-(naphthen-1-yl)ethylamine using p-chlorophenoxy-acetic acid as internal standard. The application of the method for the determination of the enantiomeric composition of ibuprofen in human plasma following the repeated oral administration of the drug to two volunteers is reported. The plasma concentrations of the S-(+) enantiomer were always greater than that of the R-(-), the ratio of the areas under the enantiomer plasma concentration-time curves (S/R) being 1.8 and 1.6.     

Determination of the R-(-) and S-(+) enantiomers of the monohydroxylated metabolite of oxcarbazepine in human plasma by enantioselective high-performance liquid chromatography.

An enantioselective liquid chromatographic assay for the simultaneous determination of the S-(+) and R-(-) enantiomers of the monohydroxylated metabolite of oxcarbazepine in human plasma is described. The metabolite is the active principle. The method is based on the extraction of plasma with diethyl ether-dichloromethane (2:1, v/v), separation of the organic phase, evaporation of the solvent and dissolution of the residue in the mobile phase. The two enantiomers were resolved on a Chiralcel OD (250 mm x 4.6 mm I.D.) high-performance liquid chromatographic column. The separation was achieved by isocratic elution with n-hexane-2-propanol (77:23, v/v). The flow-rate of the mobile phase was 1.0 ml/min and the two enantiomers were detected by ultraviolet absorbance at 210 nm. The analytical method is suitable for the quantitative and simultaneous determination of the two enantiomers in plasma at concentrations down to 0.4 mumol/l after administration of oxcarbazepine.     

Enantioselective high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of baclofen in human plasma

A new analytical method for the separation and determination of R-(−)- and S-(+)- baclofen enantiomers in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detection was developed. Enantioselective resolution of the baclofen enantiomers was achieved by using teicoplanin macrocyclic antibiotic chiral stationary phase (CSP) known as Chirobiotic T with a polar ionic mobile phase (PIM) consisting of methanol: glacial acetic acid: triethylamine, 100:0.1:0.1, (v/v/v) at a flow rate of 0.5 ml min⁻¹ and UV detection set at 220 nm. The analytes of interest with S-(+)-sulpiride as the internal standard were extracted from human plasma using liquid-liquid extraction procedure with ethyl ether under alkaline condition prior to HPLC analysis. Recoveries for R-(−)- and S-(+)-baclofen enantiomers were in the ranges of 96-103% at 60-2500 ng ml⁻¹ level. Intra-day and inter-day precision calculated as %RSD was in the ranges of 1.2-5.2 and 1.3-4.3% for both enantiomers, respectively. Intra-day and inter-day accuracy calculated as percentage error were in the ranges of 1.2-3.9 and 1.1-3.9% for both enantiomers, respectively. Linear calibration curves in the concentration ranges of 20-3000 ng ml⁻¹ for each enantiomer showed correlation coefficient (r) of 0.9997. The limit of quantitation (LOQ) and limit of detection (LOD) for each enantiomer in human plasma were 20 and 10 ng ml⁻¹ (S/N=3) respectively.     

Determination of Ibuprofen in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography: validation and application in pharmacokinetic study

A specific method for the simultaneous determination of S-(+)Ibuprofen and R-(-)Ibuprofen enantiomers in human plasma is described. Adopting a high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) system with spectrofluorometer detector, the compounds were extracted from plasma in alcohol medium and were separated on C18 column, using a solution of acetonitrile-water-acetic acid-triethylamine as mobile phase. The limit of quantitation was 0.1 microg/mL for both compounds. The method was validated by intra-day assays at three concentration levels and was used in a kinetic study in healthy volunteers. During the study we carried out inter-day assays to confirm the feasibility of the method.     

Liquid chromatographic high-throughput analysis of ketamine and its metabolites in human plasma using a monolithic silica column and solid phase extraction

A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatographic (LC) assay was developed for the simultaneous determination of ketamine (KE) and its two main metabolites, namely, norketamine (NK) and dehydronorketamine (DHNK) in human plasma. Each compound together with an internal standard (Labetalol) was extracted from the plasma matrix using solid phase extraction (SPE). The applicability of monolithic LC phases in the field of quantitative bioanalysis has been evaluated. The existing method with UV detection set at 220 nm was successfully transferred from a conventional reversed phase column to a 10 cm × 4.6 mm i.d. monolithic silica column. By simply increasing the mobile phase flow-rate, run times were about six-fold reduced and consumption of mobile phase were about two-fold decreased, while the chromatographic resolution of the analytes remain unaffected. The method was validated over the range 25-2000 ng/mL for KE, 25-1500 ng/mL for NK, and 15-750 ng/mL for DHNK. The method proved to be precise (within-run precision ranges from 2.2 to 7.2% and between-run precision ranges from 3.7 to 8.2%) and accurate (within-run accuracies ranged from 1.3 to 7.2% and between-run accuracies ranged from 1.5 to 8.7%). The mean absolute recoveries were 95.3, 96.9, and 103.9% for KE, NK and DHNK, respectively. The limit of quantitation (LOQ) and limit of detection (LOD) for KE and NK in human plasma were 25 and 12.5 ng/mL, respectively, and for DHNK were 15 and 7.5 ng/mL (S/N = 3). The assay should be suitable for use in routine determination of KE and its metabolites in human plasma.     

Enantiomeric resolution of ibuprofen and flurbiprofen in human plasma by SPE-chiral HPLC methods

Chiral analysis of profens in human plasma is an important area of research due to different pharmaceutical activities of their enantiomers. The solid phase extraction of ibuprofen and flurbiprofen from human plasma was carried out on C18 cartridges by using phosphate buffer (50 mM, pH 6.0) followed by elution with methanol. Chiral-HPLC was performed on AmyCoat RP (150 mm x 46 mm, 3 μm particle size) column by using different combinations of water-acetonitrile-trifluoro acetic acid at 1.5 mLmin-1 flow rate. The detection was achieved at 236 and 254 nm for ibuprofen and flurbiprofen, respectively with 27±1°C as working temperature. The chromatographic parameters i.e. retention (k), separation (α) and resolution (Rs) factors ranged from 4.54-14.42, 1.10-1.30 and 1.01-1.49, respectively. The binding differences of enantiomers of ibuprofen and flurbiprofen were 4.4 and 5.2, respectively. These values suggest that S-(+)- enantiomer of flurbiprofen is more active than ibuprofen due to low enantiomeric difference of the later drug. The developed SPE-Chiral HPLC methods were validated, which are selective, efficient and reproducible.     

纤维素-三（3,5-二甲苯基氨基甲酸酯）手性固定相拆分氨鲁米特对映体

以纤维素-三（3,5-二甲苯基氨基甲酸酯）为手性固定相（Chiralcel OD-H）在高效液相色谱上拆分了氨鲁米特对映体。通过测定氨鲁米特在正己烷/乙醇和正己烷/异丙醇中的溶解度,优选了对样品溶解度大的流动相体系,并考察了流动相添加剂乙醇胺对拆分效果的影响。在此基础上进一步研究了流动相中乙醇含量、柱温和进样量对分离因子、分离度、不对称因子和理论板数的影响,从而确定了最佳的拆分条件：固定相为Chiralcel OD-H,流动相为正己烷/乙醇/乙醇胺（体积比为30：70：0.1）,柱温25℃。本文所得结果可为工业放大提供基础数据。     

Chiral analysis of baclofen by alpha-cyclodextrin-modified capillary electrophoresis and laser-induced fluorescence detection

An enantioselective method for baclofen (4-amino-3-p-chlorophenylbutyric acid) based on capillary electrophoresis (CE) separation and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection has been developed. Naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde (NDA) was used for precolumn derivatization of the nonfluorescent drug. alpha-Cyclodextrin (alpha-CD) was included in the buffer as a chiral selector for the separation of NDA-labeled S-(+)- and R-(-)-baclofen. Optimal resolution and detection were obtained with an electrophoretic buffer of 50 mM sodium borate (pH 9.5) containing 7 mM alpha-CD and a He-Cd laser (lambda ex = 442 nm, lambda em = 500 nm). Combined with a simple cleanup procedure, this method can be applied to the analysis of baclofen enantiomers in human plasma. The relative standard deviation (RSD) values on peak areas of a plasma sample containing 1.0 microM racemic baclofen were 6.4 and 4.9% (n = 8) for the S-(+)- and R-(-)-enantiomer, respectively. The RSD value on migration times of both enantiomers was 0.5% (n = 8). Calibration graphs for S-(+)- and R-(-)-baclofen in plasma showed a good linearity (r > or = 0.999) in the concentration range of 0.1-2.0 microM. The limit of detection of baclofen in plasma was about 10 ng/mL.     

HPLC microdetermination of flurbiprofen enantiomers in plasma with a glycopeptide-type chiral stationary phase column

A rapid and stereospecific HPLC micromethod to quantify flurbiprofen enantiomers was developed. Both flurbiprofen enantiomers and indomethacin, used as internal standard, were extracted with methylene chloride from 100 microL of acidified plasma. The resolution of the R- and S-forms was performed on a bonded vancomycin chiral stationary phase (Chirobiotic V) with 20% of tetrahydrofuran in ammonium nitrate (100 mM, pH 5) as mobile phase. Calibration curves were linear in the range 0.5-10 microg/mL for both enantiomers. A good accuracy (< or = 5%) was obtained for all quality controls, with intra-day and inter-day variation coefficients equal or less than 7.7%. Recovery of both enantiomers was found in the range 77.4-86.3%. The lower limit of quantitation was 0.25 microg/mL for both enantiomers, without interference of endogenous components. This validated micromethod has been successfully applied for quantifying R- flurbiprofen and S- flurbiprofen in rat plasma.     

Characterization of the stereoselective metabolism of thiopental and its metabolite pentobarbital via analysis of their enantiomers in human plasma by capillary electrophoresis.

Using capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with a 75 mM phosphate buffer at pH 8.5 containing 5 mM hydroxypropyl-gamma-cyclodextrin (OHP-gamma-CD) as chiral selector, the separation of the enantiomers of thiopental and its oxybarbiturate metabolite, pentobarbital, is reported. Enantiomer assignment was performed via preparation of enantiomerically enriched fractions using chiral recycling isotachophoresis (rITP) processing of racemic barbiturates and analysis of rITP fractions by chiral CZE and circular dichroism spectroscopy. Thiopental and pentobarbital enantiomers in plasma were extracted at low pH using dichloromethane and extracts were reconstituted in acetonitrile or 10-fold diluted, achiral running buffer. The stereoselectivity of the thiopental and pentobarbital metabolism was assessed via analysis of 12 plasma samples that stemmed from patients undergoing prolonged or having completed long-term racemic thiopental infusion. The data obtained revealed a modest stereoselectivity with R-(+)-thiopental/S-(-)-thiopental and R-(+)-pentobarbital/S-(-)-pentobarbital plasma ratios being < 1 (P < 0.05 compared to data obtained with racemic controls) and > 1 (P < 0.001), respectively. The total S-(-)-thiopental plasma concentration was found to be on average about 24% higher compared to the concentration of R-(+)-thiopental, whereas the total R-(+)-pentobarbital plasma level was observed to be on average 29% higher compared to the S-(-)-pentobarbital concentration.