A sensitive and specific method is described for the determination of 17-monochloroacetylajmaline (I) and its metabolite, ajmaline (II), in plasma. Method specificity is accomplished by combining an ion-pair extraction with chromatography followed by development and utilization of reaction product fluorescence of the isolated species on silica gel. Recovery of I and I1 added to plasma or water averaged 70%. The major loss in the assay resulted during a solvent evaporation step and was reproducible over the concentration interval studied. The limit of detectability for I is 0.06 pg/2 ml of plasma. The method was used to determine plasma levels of I and I1 in the dog following a dose of 10 mg/kg iv of I.
Keyphrases 0 17-Monochloroacetylajmaline and ajmaline-TLC determination in plasma Ajmaline and 17-monochloroacetylajmaline-TLC determination in plasma TLC-determination, 17-monochloroacetylajmaline and ajmaline in plasma Ajmaline, an alkaloid base of Rauwolfia, causes a direct antiarrhythmic effect in humans. Its use as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias is well documented (1-5). Preliminary investigations indicated that the 17-monochloroacetyl ester (1)l of ajmaline (11) may have advantages in controlling arrhythmias.