A simple high performance liquid chromatographic assay for the determination of plasma glibenclamide concentrations is described. This resolved glibenclamide from normal plasma constituents. The calibration curve of the assay was linear over the range 10-500 microgram/l and the minimum level of detection was 2 microgram/l. Within-assay coefficients of variation were 11.6% (20 microgram/l); 5.3% (50 microgram/l); 6.8% (100 microgram/l); between-assay coefficients of variation were 8.4% (20 microgram/l); 4.7% (50 microgram/l) and 7.4% (100 microgram/l). The assay was used to study the pharmacokinetics of a 1 mg intravenous dose of glibenclamide in eight normal subjects. The mean half-life was found to be 1.47 +/- 0.42 h (SD) and no evidence for a non-linear beta-phase or slowly equilibrating 'deep' compartment was found although this could not be rigorously excluded. The mean systemic drug clearance was 78 +/- 29 ml X h-1 X kg-1 and the apparent volume of distribution in the beta-phase was 155 +/- 44 ml/kg. The median time of maximum response of plasma immunoreactive insulin was 25 min and the median time of maximum blood glucose response was 53 min. No correlation could be found between the pharmacokinetics of glibenclamide and these responses in fasted normal individuals.