A method for the assay of R ( ) and S (+) mexiletine in rat liver microsomal incubates was developed. The method involved extraction of mexiletine from the microsomal incubates, and formation of mexiletine diastereomeric derivatives with a chiral reagent S ( ) N trifluoroacetyl prolyl chloride. Separation and quantitation of the diastereomeric mexiletine derivatives were carried out by a capillary gas chromatographic system with flame ionization detection. The assay was linear from 5 to 500 μg/ml for each enantiomer. The average recoveries of analytical method were 93 31±5 59% and 93 10±5 11% for R ( ) and S (+) mexiletine, respectively. The limits of detection and quantitation for the method were 1 0 μg/ml and 5 0 μg/ml for the R ( ) and S (+) mexiletine isomers, respectively. The reproducibility in the assay was better than 16.5% (RSD). The method has been applied to the metabolism study of R ( ) and S (+) mexiletine in rat liver microsomal incubates.
