Quantification of propranolol enantiomers in small blood samples from rats by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography after chiral derivatization

A high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) technique is described for quantification of R(+)- and S(-)-propranolol from 100-microliters rat blood samples. The procedure involves chiral derivatization with tert.-butoxycarbonyl-L-leucine anhydride to form diastereomeric propranolol-L-leucine derivatives which are separated on a reversed-phase HPLC column. The method as previously reported has been modified for assaying serial blood microsamples obtained from the rat for pharmacokinetic studies. An internal standard, cyclopentyldesisopropylpropranolol, has been incorporated into the assay and several derivatization parameters have been altered. Standard curves for both enantiomers were linear over a 60-fold concentration range in 100-microliters samples of whole rat blood (12.5-750 ng/ml; r = 0.9992 for each enantiomer). Inter- and intra-assay variability was less than 12% for each enantiomer at 25 ng/ml. No enantiomeric interference or racemization was observed as a result of the derivatization. No analytical interference was noted from endogenous components in rat blood samples. Preliminary data from two male Sprague-Dawley rats given a 2.0 mg/kg intravenous dose of racemic propranolol revealed differential disposition of the two enantiomers. R(+)-Propranolol achieved higher initial concentration but was eliminated more rapidly than S(-)-propranolol. Terminal half-lives of R(+)- and S(-)-propranolol were 19.23 and 51.95 min, respectively, in one rat, and 14.50 and 52.07 min, respectively, in the other.