Enantioselective high performance liquid chromatographic assay of acebutolol and its active metabolite diacetolol in human serum

A stereoselective direct liquid chromatographic method for assay of the enantiomers of the beta-adrenergic blocker acebutolol (AC) and its active metabolite, diacetolol (DC), in human serum was developed. The assay is based on extraction with ethyl acetate and separation of enantiomers on an amylose tris-(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) chiral stationary phase (Chiralpak AD) column. The method was validated and proved useful for the determination of the enantiomers in serum samples of patients suffering from hypertension and chronically treated with racemic AC. The results were compared and found similar with an indirect assay based on derivatization of the enantiomers with (+)-(S)-1-(1-naphthyl)ethyl isocyanate (NEIC).