Determination of water soluble imidazo-1,4-benzodiazepines in blood by electron- capture gas--liquid chromatography and in urine by differential pulse polaragraphy.

A sensitive and specific electron-capture gas--liquid chromatographic (GLC--ECD) assay was developed for the determination of 8-chloro-6-(2'-fluorophenyl)-1-methyl-4H-imidazo(1,5a)(1,4)benzodiazepine (I) or 8-chloro-1,4-dimethyl-6-(2'-fluorophenyl)-4H-imidazo (1,5a)(1,4)benzodiazepine (II) in blood. The assay for both compounds involves extraction into benzene--methylene chloride (9:1) from blood buffered to pH 12.6 The overall recovery of I and II from blood is 86% +- 5.0 (S.D.) and the sensitivity limit of detection is of the order of 2 to 3 ng of I or II per milliltre of blood. The major urinary metabolite of I is 8-chloro-6-(2'-fluorophenyl)-1-hydroxymethyl-4H-imidazo(1,5a)(1,4)benzodiazepine, (IA) present as a glucuronide conjugate while 8-chloro-6-(2'-fluorophenyl)-4-hydroxyl-1-methyl-4H-imidazo(1,5a)(1,4)benzodiazepine, (IB) and 8-chloro-6-(2'-fluorophenyl)-4-hydroxy-1-hydroxymethyl-4H-imidazo(1,5a)(1,4) benzodiazepine, (IC) are minor metabolites. The major metabolite IA is extracted into benzene--methylene chloride (9:1) from urine buffered to pH 11.0 (after incubation with glucuronidase--sulfatase as pH 5.0), and analyzed by differential pulse polarography (DPP) in 0.1 M phosphate buffer PH 3). The overall recovery of IA is 84 +- 3.0% (S.D.) with a sensitivity limit of 50 ng per millilitre of urine. The metabolites of compound II have not as yet been elucidated. The GLC--ECD and DPP assays were applied to the determination of blood levels and urinary excretion in dogs following single 10 mg/kg intravenous and oral doses of I and following single 6 mg/kg intravenous and 10 mg/kg oral doses of II. Blood levels of compound I were also evaluated in man following intravenous infusion of single 10 mg doses.