Solid-phase extraction and direct high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of metoprolol enantiomers in plasma

A method is described by which underivatized metoprolol enantiomers in plasma can be quantitated by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. Samples are prepared for injection using a simple solid-phase extraction procedure which is essentially 100% efficient for all analytes. The metoprolol enantiomers are resolved using a cellulose tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) chiral stationary phase and a hexane-ethanol-diethylamine mobile phase. Samples were tested for adaptability to autoinjection and found to be stable for at least 16 h after reconstitution in mobile phase. The automated method was determined to be precise and accurate for enantiomer concentrations as low as 10 ng base per ml and was successfully employed in a pharmacokinetic investigation.