Enantioselective determination of bromoisovalerylurea by liquid chromatography on chiral stationary phase in reversed- or normal-phase partition mode

Bromoisovalerylurea (bromvalerylurea) is a sedative-hypnotic given orally a s a racemate. Enantiomers of this drug could be separated by high-performan ce liquid chromatography on the three chiral stationary phases (a vancomyci n-bonded, beta-cyclodextrin derivative-bonded, or urea derivative-bonded ph ase). Biological fluids of human subjects who had ingested toxic or therape utic doses of the racemate were chromatographed after liquid-liquid extract ion. The (+)-enantiomer concentration was almost equal to the (-)-enantiome r concentration in the serum of one overdosed patient. In all the other sub jects, the (+)-enantiomer was less than the (-)-enantiomer in their sera an d saliva. The data suggest that the drug is absorbed non-stereoselectively from the gasrrointestinal trace and eliminated from the blood stereoselecti vely. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley Br Sons, Ltd.