[Behavior of chlorpheniramine in vivo after administration of d- and l-chlorpheniramine maleate].

A high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed for the determination of chlorpheniramine (I) in the plasma. By this method, 1 ng of I could be measured. Plasma levels of I were determined by the HPLC method after oral administration of d-chlorpheniramine maleate (II) or l-chlorpheniramine maleate (III) to healthy subjects and dogs. Plasma levels of I brought about by oral administration of II were evidently higher than those by III both in humans and dogs. On the other hand, there was no difference in plasma levels of I when II or III was injected intravenously into dogs. Therefore, it was considered that the discrepancy in plasma levels of I after oral administration of II and III to dogs was neither due to a difference in elimination rate nor a distribution volume but rather in first-pass effect in absorption process. The result observed in the human study could be also explained in the same way as that in dogs.