HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF PINDOLOL ENANTIOMERS IN HUMAN SERUM AND URINE USING A REVERSED-PHASE CELLULOSE-BASED CHIRAL COLUMN

Simple, sensitive and reliable high-performance liquid chromatographic methods are reported for the determination of pindolol enantiomers in human serum and urine. The methods involved a solid-phase extraction of serum and a direct injection of urine samples. The separation of R( +)- and S(-)-pindolol was accomplished on a reversed-phase cellulose-b ased chiral column with a mobile phase of 40:60 (v/v) acetonitrile-0.3 M aqueous sodium perchlorate at a flow-rate of 0.5 ml/min. The detect ion was achieved by monitoring the fluorescence emission of pindolol e nantiomers at 310 nm with excitation at 270 nm. The limits of detectio n were 1.2 ng/ml of R(+)- and 4.3 ng/ml of S(-)-pindolol in serum, and 21 ng/ml of R(+)- and 76 ng/ml of S(-)-pindolol in urine. The externa l standard method was used for quantitation. The methods have been app lied to the analysis of human serum and urine samples in a pharmacokin etic study.