Liquid chromatographic enantioseparation, determination, bioassay and isolation of enantiomers of Ketorolac : a review

Ketorolac (Ket) is a potent non-narcotic analgesic drug (among the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). The physiological activity of Ket resides with (S)-(-)-Ket while the drug is marketed and administered as a racemic mixture. Therefore, it is desirable that the pharmacokinetics is measured and quantified for enantiomers individually and not as a total drug. The present paper is focused on relevant literature on LC enantioseparation of (RS)-Ket along with bioassay, pharmacokinetic and clinical studiem within the discipline of analytical chemistry. HPLC and Thin layer chromatography (TLC) methods using both direct and indirect approaches are discussed. The methods provide chirality recognition even in the absence of pure enantiomers. Besides, a brief discussion on resolution by crystallization and enzymatic methods is included. The most interesting aspects include establishment of structure and molecular asymmetry of diastereomeric derivatives using LC-MS, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry, and by drawing conformations in three dimensional views by using certain software. A brief discussion has also been provided on the recovery of native enantiomers by TLC.