ABSTRACT
This chapter describes an isocratic high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the separation of propafenone and its two metabolites, 5-hydroxypropafenone and N-depropylpropafenone. It also describes quantitation of propafenone and 5-hydroxypropafenone. Hydroxyla-tion of propafenone parallels that of debrisoquine, suggesting that the same mechanism is involved in the process. Propafenone is a new antiarrhythmic agent with fast sodium channel-blocking activity, associated with weak β-adrenergic receptor and calcium-blocking actions. It has recently been shown to be effective in the control of chronic recurrent supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias. The HPLC method offers the ability to simultaneously and rapidly detect and quantitate the levels of propafenone and its metabolites in serum samples from our pediatric population. With increased use of the drug in therapeutics, a need for a reliable assay for these compounds in Ttherapeutic drug monitoring service is being realized. An HPLC method for pediatric samples requiring short run time and convenient extraction procedure is under investigation in our laboratory.
