Stereoselective high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of ketoprofen, ibuprofen and fenoprofen in plasma using a chiral alpha 1-acid glycoprotein column.

The effect of mobile phase composition, pH and temperature on the chiral resolution and retention of some 2-arylpropionic acids using the chiral alpha 1-acid glycoprotein column EnantioPac is described. Furthermore, a direct stereoselective high-performance liquid chromatographic assay to determine the enantiomers of ketoprofen, ibuprofen and fenoprofen in plasma is presented. Detection was at 260, 220 and 220 nm for ketoprofen, ibuprofen and fenoprofen, respectively. The limit of detection was 0.1 micrograms/ml for the enantiomers of ketoprofen and ibuprofen, and 0.25 micrograms/ml for the enantiomers of fenoprofen. The method was demonstrated to be applicable for stereoselective pharmacokinetic studies of ketoprofen, ibuprofen and fenoprofen after administration under clinical conditions.