Presystemic inversion of (R)- to (S)-ibuprofen has been proposed but not directly examined in humans. We investigated the bioavailability of the enantiomers of ibuprofen in 10 healthy volunteers. Low-dose racemic ibuprofen (400 mg) was administered orally and intravenously (60-minute infusion), in random order. There were no significant differences between oral and intravenous doses for the area under the curve values, terminal rate constants, clearances, metabolite formation clearances, and serum protein binding for (R)- and (S)-ibuprofen. The bioavailabilities of (R)-ibuprofen and total ibuprofen were 0.92 +/- 0.11 and 0.95 +/- 0.08, respectively. The fractional inversion of (R)-ibuprofen was determined by two methods (stable isotope method and from the stereochemical composition of the urinary metabolites) that gave similar estimates of inversion for oral dosing (0.56 +/- 0.12 and 0.60 +/- 0.07, respectively) and intravenous dosing (0.56 +/- 0.09 and 0.60 +/- 0.06, respectively). We conclude that the bioavailability of both enantiomers of ibuprofen is complete and find no evidence of significant presystemic inversion.