Qualitative and quantitative determination of metapramine and its metabolites in biological materials

The qualitative and quantitative determination of metapramine and its metabolites, after selective solvent extraction from biological materials, are achieved by gas-liquid chromatography with or without an internal standard, carried out directly or after derivatization, spectrofluorimetry and one- or two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography. The gas chromatographic procedures are the most sensitive for the quantitative determination fo the unchanged compound: 15 and 35 ng/ml in plasma and 5 and 10 ng/ml in urine; the detection limit for thin-layer chromatography is about 100 ng. These techniques can be used for pharmacokinetic studies and therapeutic controls, and also in analytical toxicology.