Determination of betaxolol enantiomers by high-performance liquid chromatography. Application to pharmacokinetic studies.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method is described for the determination of (R)- and (S)-enantiomers of betaxolol in blood and other biological fluids. Separation of the enantiomers is performed after preparation of diastereomeric derivatives with the chiral reagent R(-)-naphthylethylisocyanate by reversed-phase HPLC. Fluorimetric detection allows the quantification of betaxolol enantiomers down to 0.5 ng/ml. This method was used to evaluate the pharmacokinetic profile of the betaxolol enantiomers in three subjects following one single oral dose (20 mg) of racemic betaxolol. No significant difference was observed in blood levels of the isomers.