Determination of Beta-Blockers in Biological Material: Evaluation of Analytical Methods in Biological Systems

This is the third volume of a sub-series entitled Evaluation of Analytical Methods in Biological Systems. (The first two were Analysis of Biogenic Amines edited by G.B. Baker and R.T. Coutts, and Hazardous Metals in Human Toxicology edited by A. Vercruysse).

This latest volume addresses beta-blockers - an area of research for which a Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded in 1988. It provides an up-to-date and comprehensive coverage of the theory and practice of the determination of beta-blockers in biological material. Two main fields of research are dealt with in this book: analytical chemistry and pharmacology, and, as it deals with drugs used in clinical practice, it is also related to a third area: therapy. Thus, it offers relevant information to workers in all three fields.

Some 50 beta-blockers are discussed, and nine methods of analysis. The methods are divided into three groups: optical, chromatographic, and saturation methods. In addition to the analytical methods themselves, sample handling problems are also discussed in detail, as is the information content of the analytical results obtained. Special chapters are directed towards those working in pharmacology and pharmacokinetics. Finally, as recent evidence points to the increased importance of distinguishing optical isomers of drugs, a chapter on the determination of optical isomers of beta-blockers in biological material is also included. An extensive subject index and two supplements giving retention indices and structures of beta-blockers complete the book.

This is the first book to treat beta-blockers from the point of view of their determination and to discuss in detail the use of analytical methods for beta-blockers. It will thus appeal to a wide-ranging readership.