Simultaneous determination of moricizine and its sulphoxidation metabolites in biological fluids by high-performance liquid chromatography

A simultaneous assay for moricizine, its two sulphoxidation metabolites, morizine sulphoxide and moricizine sulphone, using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is described. The drug and metabolites and clozapine (internal standard) in biological fluids were extracted using pentanesulphonic acid into diethyl ether. The ethereal extract was evaporated to dryness and the residue was redissolved in the mobile phase (methanol-water-triethylamine, 65:35:0.5, v/v). The analyses were performed on a μBondapak reversed-phase C₁₈ column housed in a Waters Z-module, linked to a C₁₈ pre-column, with a run-time of 12 min. The retention times were 2.7, 3.5, 6.2 and 9.7 min for moricizine sulphone, moricizine sulphoxide, moricizine and clozapine, respectively. The recovery of the compounds from plasma ranged from 89.9% for the sulphoxide to 98.1% for clozapine. The limits of detection of the assay for moricizine, moricizine sulphoxide and moricizine sulphone were 20, 10 and 5 ng/ml, respectively.     

Leishmania donovani: Oral efficacy and toxicity of formycin B in the infected hamster

Formycin B, a structural analog of inosine, was evaluated as an orally administrable antileishmanial agent. Against Leishmania donovani in hamsters, it achieved an 85–92% reduction in numbers of parasites in livers of infected animals after oral administration at 13 mg/kg/day for 4 days. Its efficacy by oral administration was approximately four to eight times that by intramuscular administration and four times that of the positive control drug Glucantime by intramuscular administration. The levels of formycin B in serum after the final oral administration of 26 mg/kg/day were 1.4 μg/ml at 1 hr and 0.3 μg/ml at 2 hr. The concentration in liver was greater (9.0 μg/ml at 1 hr) and declined more slowly. With this latter dosage or with 104 mg/kg/day there was no acute toxicity of formycin B to bone marrow or formed elements of the blood. The only statistically significant toxicity to the liver was a doubling of serum total bilirubin levels. Comparison of the in vivo efficacy of formycin B against L. donovani to the mild acute toxicity of the drug suggests that formycin B has potential as an oral agent against visceral leishmaniasis.     

Radioimmunoassay for nitrazepam in plasma.

A radioimmunoassay (RIA) has been developed for the determination of therapeutic levels of the widely used hypnotic and anticonvulsant agent nitrazepam directly in 10 μl samples of plasma. The antiserum to nitrazepam, which was obtained following immunization of rabbits with an albumin conjugate of 3-hemisuccinyloxy-nitrazepam, does not cross-react with its major metabolites 7-amino-nitrazepam and 7-acetylamino-nitrazepam. The specificity of the RIA has been validated by comparison with a high-pressure liquid chromatographic procedure in the determination of intact nitrazepam in plasma following oral administration of 5 and 10 mg of the drug to man. The RIA intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation did not exceed 7 and 9.5%, respectively. The RIA has a limit of sensitivity of 4 ng/ml using 10 μl of plasma and is ideally suited for routine clinical monitoring of nitrazepam in epileptic patients who are not receiving other benzodiazepines and for detailed pharmacokinetic and bioavailability studies in pediatric or geriatric patients from whom relatively small blood specimens are available.     

Embryo‐Fetal Developmental Toxicity Studies with Pregabalin in Mice and Rabbits

Pregabalin was evaluated for potential developmental toxicity in mice and rabbits. Pregabalin was administered once daily by oral gavage to female albino mice (500, 1250, or 2500 mg/kg) and New Zealand White rabbits (250, 500, or 1250 mg/kg) during organogenesis (gestation day 6 through 15 [mice] or 6 through 20 [rabbits]). Fetuses were evaluated for viability, growth, and morphological development. Pregabalin administration to mice did not induce maternal or developmental toxicity at doses up to 2500 mg/kg, which was associated with a maternal plasma exposure (AUC_0–24) of 3790 μg?hr/ml, ≥30 times the expected human exposure at the maximum recommended daily dose (MRD; 600 mg/day). In rabbits, treatment‐related clinical signs occurred at all doses (AUC_0–24 of 1397, 2023, and 4803 μg?hr/ml at 250, 500, and 1250 mg/kg, respectively). Maternal toxicity was evident at all doses and included ataxia, hypoactivity, and cool to touch. In addition, abortion and females euthanized moribund with total resorption occurred at 1250 mg/kg. There were no treatment‐related malformations at any dose. At 1250 mg/kg, compared with study and historical controls, the percentage of fetuses with retarded ossification was significantly increased and the mean number of ossification sites was decreased, which correlated with decreased fetal and placental weights, consistent with in utero growth retardation. Therefore, the no‐effect dose for developmental toxicity in rabbits was 500 mg/kg, which produced systemic exposure approximately 16‐times human exposure at the MRD. These findings indicate that pregabalin, at the highest dose tested, was not teratogenic in mice or rabbits     

Albendazole sulphoxide concentrations in plasma of endemic normals from a lymphatic filariasis endemic region using liquid chromatography

A simple and sensitive reversed-phase isocratic HPLC method for the determination of albendazole and its metabolites has been developed. The mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile-water-perchloric acid (70%) (30:110:0.06 (v/v/v)) was pumped at a flow rate of 0.80 ml/min on a 5 microm, reverse phase, Discovery RPamide C16 column with UV detection at 290 nm. The calibration graphs were linear in the range of 0.05- 1 microg/ml for albendazole, albendazole sulphoxide and albendazole sulphone. The limit of quantification was 50 ng/ml for albendazole, 25 ng/ml for albendazole sulphoxide and 30 ng/ml for albendazole sulphone. The within-day and day-to-day coefficient of variation averaged 4.98 and 6.95% for albendazole, 3.83 and 6.83% for albendazole sulphoxide and 3.44 and 5.51% for albendazole sulphone, respectively. The mean extraction recoveries of albendazole, albendazole sulphoxide and albendazole sulphone were 79.25, 93.03 and 88.78%, respectively. The method was applied to determine the plasma levels of albendazole sulphoxide in endemic normals administered with albendazole during pharmacokinetic studies.     

Sodium 5-(3′-pyridinylmethyl)benzofuran-2-carboxylate (U-63557A), a new,selective thromboxane synthase inhibitor: Intravenous and oral pharmacokintics in dogs and correlations with exsitu thromboxane B2 production

The pharmacokinetics of a new, selective thromboxane synthase inhibitor, sodium 5-(3′-pyridinylmethyl)benzofuran-2-carboxylate were determined for single dose, bolus intravenous injections (1, 3, and 10 mg/kg); for continuous 24 hr infusions (10 and 30 μg/kg/min); and for oral doses of gelatin encapsulated powdered drug (3, 10, and 30 mg/kg). Drug disappeared biexponentially after intravenous administration, and plasma concentrations were proportional to the dose. Absorption of drug occurred rapidly after its oral administration; peak plasma levels occurred 1–2 hours after ingestion, and circulating drug was detectable within 30 minutes. For all experiments, inhibition of cellular thromboxane B₂ production, $\text{ex situ}$, corresponded with plasma drug levels and its reactivation corresponded with disappearance of the drug indicating that it was not accumulated by platelets.     

Determination of BAY x 7195, a novel leukotriene D4 antagonist,in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with post-column photo derivatisation and fluorescence detection

Methods to determine plasma concentrations of the leukotriene D₄ antagonist BAY x 7195 by HPLC with post-column photo derivatisation and fluorescence detection are described. Following dilution and centrifugation plasma supernatant is injected onto the HPLC system allowing the selective determination of the drug with a limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 10 μg/l (method A). Sensitivity was further enhanced to a LOQ of 0.6 μg/l by employing solid-phase extraction whereby the analyte concentration in the injection solution was increased (method B). Data on recovery, accuracy and precision of both methods throughout the working range are presented. BAY x 7195 is stable in plasma after repeated freeze-thaw cycles and upon storage at −20°C for at least 13 months. Method A was applied to a clinical study with oral administration of 250 mg BAY x 7195 where ca. 1% of the maximum plasma concentrations still could be accurately and precisely quantified. Method B was employed to determine the drug in plasma after administration of 1 mg as aerosol.     

Separate mechanisms of induction for ornithine decarboxylase by triiodothyronine and aminophylline

A single dose of aminophylline (200 μmol/kg, i.p.) or triiodothyronine (T₃, 300 μg/kg, i.p.) resulted in the induction of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) in rat liver with maximal activity 10-fold and 6-fold above controls, respectively, 4 hr after the administration of the drug or hormone. After either agent, the induction of ODC was blocked by either cycloheximide or actinomycin D. The same concentrations of aminophylline and T₃ administered simultaneously produced an additive 16-fold increase in ODC activity. After T₃ administration, the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase activity ratio was unaltered at all times measured. After aminophylline, the protein kinase activity ratio was elevated by 15 min and remained elevated for 2 hr. Somatostatin administration (50 μg/100 g), which lowers plasma growth hormone to 30% of control, had no effect on the ability of T₃ to induce ODC. These data suggest separate routes of induction of ODC in response to aminophylline and T₃. Aminophylline induction occurs via cycyclic AMP-mediated event whereas T₃ does not involve ccyclic AMP but results from a direct nuclear interaction.     

Plasma levels of 15(S) 15-methyl PGF2α following administration via various routes for induction of abortion

Plasma levels of 15 (S) 15-methyl PGF_2α were measured by gas chromatography - mass spectrometry following intravenous, intramuscular and subcutaneous administration. During intravenous infusion of 1.0 and 2.5 μg/min of the drug for six hours the plasma levels were relatively constant around 600 and 1200 picog/ml, respectively. At an infusion rate of 5 μg/min the plasma level continously increased during the administration.Intramuscular injections of 100–400 μg of 15 (S) 15-methyl PGF_2α gave maximum levels in plasma (700–1700 picog/ml) after 15–20 minutes followed by a gradual decrease during more than three hours. This rapid resorption of drug into plasma could be delayed by addition of 5 μg epinephrine to the injected solution. Analyses during a series of intramuscular injections demonstrated that a therapeutical plasma level could be maintained by injections at two to three hour intervals.The plasma levels found after subcutaneous injections were similar to those following intramuscular injections.     

Validation of a high-performance liquid chromatographic assay method for pharmacokinetic evaluation of busulfan

The development and validation of a high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay for determination of busulfan concentrations in human plasma for pharmacokinetic studies is described. Plasma samples containing busulfan and 1,6-bis(methanesulfonyloxy)hexane, and internal standard, were prepared by derivatization with sodium diethyldithio-carbamate (DDTC) followed by addition of methanol and extraction with ethyl acetate. The extract was dried under nitrogen and the samples reconstituted with 100 μl of methanol prior to HPLC determination. Chromatography was accomplished using a Waters NovaPak octadecylsilyl (ODS) (150×3.9 mm I.D.) analytical column, NovaPak ODS guard column, and mobile phase of methanol-water (80:20, v/v) at a flow-rate of 0.8 ml/min with UV detection at 251 nm. The limit of detection was 0.0200 μg/ml (signal-to-noise ratio of 6) with a limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 0.0600 μg/ml for busulfan in plasma. Calibration curves were linear from 0.0600 to 3.00 μg/ml in plasma (500 μl) using a weighting scheme. Precision of the assay, as represented by C.V. of the observed peak area ration values, ranged from 4.41 to 13.5% (13.5% at LOQ). No day-to-day variability was observed in predicted concentration values and the bias was low for all concentrations evaluated (bias: 0 to 4.76%; LOQ: 2.91%). The mean derivatization and extraction yield observed for busulfan in plasma at 0.200, 1.20 and 2.00 μg/ml was 98.5% (range 93.4 to 107%). Plasma samples containing potential busulfan metabolites and co-administered drugs, which may be present in clinical samples, provided no response indicating this assay procedure is selective for busulfan. This method was used to analyze plasma concentrations following administration of a 1 mg/kg oral busulfan dose.     

Influence of honey on orally and intravenously administered diltiazem kinetics in rabbits

Effect of honey on plasma concentration of diltiazem after oral and intravenous administration in rabbits, has been studied. For oral study, single dose of diltiazem (5 mg/kg, p.o.) along with saline was administered to New Zealand white rabbits (n=8). Blood samples were collected at 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 hr after drug administration from marginal ear vein. After a washout period of one week, diltiazem was administered with honey (2.34 ml/kg; p.o.) and the blood samples were collected as above. To the same animals honey (2.34 ml/kg; p.o.) was continued once daily for 7 days. On 8th day, honey and diltiazem were administered simultaneously and blood samples were collected at similar time intervals as mentioned above. For intravenous study the pharmacokinetic was done in each animal on two occasions. The first study was done after single dose administration of diltiazem (5 mg/kg; i.v.) along with saline (2.34 ml/kg; p.o.). Blood samples were collected at 0, 0.083, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4 and 6 hr after i.v. diltiazem administration. The same animals were treated with honey (2.34 ml/kg; p.o.) for seven days. On day 8, the second study was carried out with single dose i.v. administration of diltiazem along with honey (2.34 ml/kg; p.o.) and blood samples were collected. In the oral study, single dose administration of honey decreased the AUC and Cmax of diltiazem associated with significant increase in clearance and volume of distribution when compared to saline treated group. After one week administration of honey, diltiazem kinetic data showed further reduction in AUC and Cmax and increase in clearance and volume of distribution. In the i.v. study also, multiple dose administration of honey significantly reduced the AUC and increased the clearance value of diltiazem. The results suggest that honey may decrease the plasma concentration of diltiazem after its oral or i.v. administration in rabbits.     

Determination of sinefungin in rat plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of sinefungin, a new antiprotozoal drug, in rat plasma has been developed and validated. Sample preparation was performed at 4°C by deproteinization with acetonitrile. Vidarabine was used as an internal standard. Both sinefungin and vidarabine were separated on a C₁₈ column with a mobile phase of ammmonium dihydrogenphosphate-acetonitrile (95:5, v/v) and detected by ultraviolet absorbance at 260 nm. Recoveries of sinefungin from plasma were 75 ± 3.2% and 81 ± 4.8% following dosage at concentrations of 10 μg/ml and 30 μ/ml, respectively. Using 25- μl of rat plasma the limit of quantitation was 1 μg/ml sinefungin, and the assay was linear from 1 to 30 μg/ml. This method appears sensitive enough to be used in further pharmacokinetic studies of sinefungin in animal models.     

Blockade of intestinal lipoprotein clearance in rabbits injected with Triton WR 1339-ethyl oleate

Although Triton WR 1339 has been used to block triglyceride or cholesterol removal from plasma, no data are available on the extent to which Triton WR 1339 administered to rabbits blocks clearance of newly absorbed dietary lipids. In the present study, we have measured the efficiency of this blockade during a 24-hr interval. After the Triton WR 1339 administration, plasma Sf greater than 400 and d less than 1.019 g/ml lipoprotein lipid concentrations increased greatly, but the concentration of d greater than 1.019 g/ml lipids decreased. In the rabbits fed 0.5% cholesterol for 1 week, the increase in d less than 1.019 g/ml and the decrease in 1.019 less than d less than 1.063 g/ml lipoprotein fractions 24 hr after the Triton WR 1339 injection were much greater than in the chow-fed Tritonized rabbits. After the Triton treatment, 50% of intravenously injected LDL-125I-labeled apoB disappeared in 24 hr, but little or no apoB appeared in other lipoprotein fractions and no VLDL apoB was converted to LDL. Labeled cholesterol and retinol were fed to rabbits and 24-hr increments in plasma cholesteryl- and retinyl-ester label and mass were measured. In chow-fed Tritonized rabbits about one-half of the absorbed oral doses of both labeled lipids was recovered in plasma, indicating that Triton WR 1339 does not completely inhibit the clearance of intestinal lipoproteins. When rabbits were injected with Triton and an ethyl oleate emulsion, the blockade of dietary lipid removal from plasma was substantially improved and chylomicron cholesterol uptake by extra-hepatic tissues was completely abolished.     

Determination of cimetidine in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography following liquid-liquid extraction

A new method is described for the determination of cimetidine in human plasma. The drug and internal standard (ranitidine) were separated on a Nucleosil C₁₈ 5 μm (25 × 4.6 mm I.D.) column using a mobile phase of acetonitrile-phosphate buffer, pH 6.2 (25:75, v/v) containing 2.5 g/l heptane sulphonic acid. The mobile phase was delivered at a flow-rate of 0.9 ml/min, detection was by ultraviolet absorption at 228 nm and concentrations were calculated on the basis of peak areas. The drugs were extracted from alkaline plasma into ethyl acetate using a salting out procedure which involved the addition of 100 ml of a saturated solution of K₂CO₃ to each 250-μl plasma aliquot. The method was validated over the concentration ranges 50–3000 ng/ml and 100–7000 ng/ml for two separate studies. Mean coefficients of variation were less than 6% for both intra- and inter-assay in both studies and recoveries varied between 71 and 81%. The method was successfully applied to the determination of cimetidine in plasma for a pharmacokinetic study.     

Can Nocodazole,an Inhibitor of Microtubule Formation,Be Used to Synchronize Mammalian Cells?

Abstract Nocodazole, a temporary inhibitor of microtubule formation, has been used to partly synchronize Ehrlich ascites tumour cells growing in suspension. the gradual entry of cells into mitosis and into the next cell cycle without division during drug treatment has been studied by flow cytometric determination of mitotic cells, analysing red and green fluorescence after low pH treatment and acridine orange staining. Determination of the mitotic index (MI) by this method has been combined with DNA distribution analysis to measure cell-cycle phase durations in asynchronous populations growing in the presence of the drug. With synchronized cells, it was shown that in the concentration range 0.4–4.0 μg/l, cells could only be arrested in mitosis for about 7 hr and at 0.04 μg/ml, for about 5 hr. After these time intervals, the DNA content in nocodazole-blocked cells was found to be increased, and, in parallel, the ratio of red and green fluorescence was found to have changed, showing entry of cells into a next cell cycle without division (polyploidization). It was therefore only possible to partially synchronize an asynchronous population by nocodazole. However, a presynchronized population, e.g. selected G₁ cells or metabolically blocked G₁/S cells, were readily and without harmful effect resynchronized in M phase by a short treatment (0.4 μg/ml, 3–4 hr) with nocodazole; after removal of the drug, cells divided and progressed in a highly synchronized fashion through the next cell cycle.     

Determination of a new oral cephalosporin,S-1090, in human plasma and urine by direct injection high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection and column switching

Direct injection high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) methods with column switching and UV detection were developed for the rapid and accurate determination of S-1090 in human plasma and urine. An internal-surface reversed-phase pre-column and a C₁₈ analytical column were used for the plasma assay. Two pre-columns packed with cyano and phenyl materials and a C₁₈ analytical column were used for the urine assay. The calibration curves for plasma and urine assays were linear in the ranges 0.09–9 μg/ml and 0.5–100 μg/ml of S-1090, respectively. The relative standard deviations for plasma and urine assays were less than 6% with low relative errors. The established HPLC methods were demonstrated to be useful for clinical pharmacokinetic studies after oral administration of S-1090.     

The effects of copper,cadmium and zinc on particle filtration and uptake of glycine in the pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas

1. The filtration rate (volume of water completely cleared of collodial carbon per unit time) by control oysters is 36.60 ml/g hr ± 7.68 (sd).2. Filtration rates decrease with increasing concentrations of Cd²⁺ and Zn²⁺.3. In 8–16 mg/l Cu²⁺, filtration rates are significantly higher than the control, but in Cu²⁺ concentrations above 32 mg/l, filtration rates are lower than controls.4. Influx of ¹⁴C-glycine is characterized by Michaelis-Menten kinetics with J_max and K_t values of 1.85 ± 0.097 μmol/g hr and 33.7 ± 4.6 μM respectively.5. The uptake rate of glycine from 1 μM solution is 37.79 μmol/g hr.6. In order of degree of inhibition of glycine uptake, Cu²⁺ > Cd²⁺ > Zn²⁺.7. In 128 mg/l Cu²⁺, glycine uptake rate is reduced to 3.96 nmol/g hr or 10.5% of control.8. The rate of glycine uptake by filter feeding bivalves is dependent on rate of water pumping rate.9. The volume specific glycine transport (amount of glycine transported/unit volume of seawater completely cleared of colloidal carbon) by control oysters in 1 μM glycine concentrations is 1.03 μmol/l.10. The volume specific glycine transport remains constant in increasing Zn²⁺ concentrations, and declines in increasing Cu²⁺ concentrations, suggesting differential effects of the metals on particle filtration and the epithelial amino acid carriers.11. The apparent volume specific glycine transport increases to 2.14 μmol/l in 128 mg/l Cd²⁺. This volume specific transport greater than the glycine concentration in the medium suggests that there may be uptake of cadmium complexed glycine by the oysters.     

Chiral Assay of Atenolol Present in Microdialysis and Plasma Samples of Rats Using Chiral CBH as Stationary Phase

Two different enantioselective chiral chromatographic methods were developed and validated to investigate the disposition of the β₁-receptor antagonist atenolol in blood and in brain extracellular fluid of rats (tissue dialysates). System A for the plasma samples was a one-column chromatographic system with a Chiral CBH column with an aqueous buffer as mobile phase into which cellobiose was added for selective regulation of the retention of the internal standard, (S)-metoprolol. The plasma samples were analysed after a simple extraction procedure. The limit of quantitation was 0.2 μg/ml for the atenolol enantiomers. The repeatability of the medium concentration quality control plasma sample (6.0 μg rac-atenolol/ml) was 11–18% for the enantiomers. The dynamic linear range of the plasma samples was 0.5–20 μg/ml. For system B, since atenolol is an extremely hydrophilic drug, the tissue dialysate sample required a much more sensitive system as compared to the plasma samples. A coupled column system was used for peak compression of the enantiomers in the eluate after the separation on the Chiral CBH column, hence increasing the detection sensitivity. The limit of quantification was 0.045 μg/ml for the atenolol enantiomers in artificial CSF. The repeatability of the medium concentration quality control samples (0.1 and 4.0 μg rac-atenolol/ml in artificial CSF and Hepes Ringer, respectively) was 2.8–9.3% for the two enantiomers. The dynamic linear range of the brain samples was 0.05–1.0 and 0.5–20 μg/ml in artificial CSF and Hepes Ringer, respectively. Chirality 9:329–334, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Determination of acetylsalicylic acid and salicylic acid in skin and plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

This study describes a HPLC method to determine the concentrations of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and salicylic acid (SA) in human stratum corneum and in plasma. The stratum corneum layers for ASA/SA analysis were removed from three patients with postherpetic hyperalgesia treated with topical and oral aspirin. Blood samples were also collected from the same patients. Tape strippings were placed in acetonitrile and sonicated for 15 min. After centrifuging, aliquots of the supernatant were injected into the chromatograph. ASA and SA from plasma samples were extracted on Isolute C₈ columns. Due to interfering peaks in the tape samples, HPLC conditions were slightly different for tape and plasma samples. ASA and SA were separated on a LiChrospher 100 RP-18 column at 1 ml/min using a water–phosphate buffer (pH 2.5)–acetonitrile mobile phase (35:40:25, v/v/v). A linear response to quantities of ASA from 0.1 to 100 μg/cm² and of SA from 0.1 to 5 μg/cm² in tape and to quantities of ASA 0.1 to 2 μg/ml and 1 to 50 μg/ml was obtained and the recovery from tape and plasma samples was over 98%. The method is sensitive (0.1 μg/cm²) and specific enough to allow the determination of the drugs in the skin not only after topical but also after oral administration. A good sensitivity was also obtained in plasma (0.1 μg/ml) allowing study of the kinetics of ASA and SA in plasma after oral administration. Concentrations of ASA after topical administration were 100–200 times higher than after oral administration. Plasma levels of ASA and SA after oral administration were similar to those previously found. No ASA or SA were detected in plasma after topical ASA administration.     

Chiral HPLC determination and stereoselective pharmacokinetics of tetrahydroberberine enantiomers in rats

Tetrahydroberberine (THB), a racemic mixture of (+)‐ and (?)‐enantiomer, is a biologically active ingredient isolated from a traditional Chinese herb Rhizoma corydalis (yanhusuo). A chiral high performance liquid chromatography method has been developed for the determination of THB enantiomers in rat plasma. The enantioseparation was carried out on a Chiral®‐AD column using methanol:ethanol (80:20, v/v) as the mobile phase at the flow rate 0.4 ml/min. The ultraviolet detection was set at 230 nm. The calibration curves were linear over the range of 0.01–2.5 μg/ml for (+)‐THB and 0.01‐5.0 μg/ml for (?)‐THB, respectively. The lower limit of quantification was 0.01 μg/ml for both (+)‐THB and (?)‐THB. The stereoselective pharmacokinetics of THB enantiomers in rats was studied after oral and intravenous administration at a dose of 50 and 10 mg/kg racemic THB (rac‐THB). The mean plasma levels of (?)‐THB were higher at almost all time points than those of (+)‐THB. (?)‐THB also exhibited greater C_max, and AUC_0–∞, smaller CL and V_d, than its antipode. The (?)/(+)‐enantiomer ratio of AUC_0–∞ after oral and intravenous administration were 2.17 and 1.43, respectively. These results indicated substantial stereoselectivity in the pharmacokinetics of THB enantiomers in rats. Chirality, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.