A high performance liquid chromatography assay utilizing an automated sample preparation procedure for the determination of a novel leukotriene biosynthesis inhibitor, (MK-591), in human plasma has been developed. After aliquoting plasma samples and adding internal standard manually, the BenchMate Workstation executed protein precipitation and solid-phase extraction. Following evaporation to dryness, the residue was reconstituted and chromatographed isocratically on a cyano-phase analytical column. MK-591 and the internal standard were separated from each other and from endogenous plasma substances and detected with an absorbance detector. The assay has been validated in the concentration range 10-1000 ng ml-1 and has the sensitivity and specificity necessary to quantify plasma concentrations from several clinical studies.