Elucidation of SR-propranolol transport rate and enantioselectivity through chiral activated membranes

Chiral activated membranes were prepared and tested for the enantioseparation of the racemic drug SR-propranolol. Polysulfone (PS) based membranes were investigated for this purpose, and N-Hexadecyl-l-hydroxyproline (HHP) was tested as a chiral carrier. The prepared membranes were characterized using two different membrane modules. In both cases, the concentration profile of both enantiomers of propranolol in the aqueous solutions over time is measured using the technique of capillary electrophoresis (CE). The influence of the simultaneous variation of both the concentration of the carrier in the membrane and the pH of the stripping solution, on the propranolol transport rate and the enantioselectivity across the chiral activated membranes, was studied. The propranolol transport rate through the membranes was investigated and established by response surface modelling. Clear enantioselective transport was encountered under the working conditions corresponding to the lower propranolol transport rate. In that case an alpha value of 1.7 was attained.