title: Determination of rofecoxib, a cyclooxygenase-2 specific inhibitor, in human plasma using high-performance liquid chromatography with post-column photochemical derivatization and fluorescence detection.
abstract: A method for the determination of rofecoxib in human plasma is described. After the addition of an internal standard, buffered (pH 5) plasma samples are extracted with hexane-methylene chloride (50:50, v/v). The extracts are evaporated to dryness and reconstituted in mobile phase. Upon exposure to UV light, the analyte was found to undergo a stilbene-phenanthrene-like photocyclization reaction with the resulting formation of a highly fluorescent species. Thus, the plasma extracts were analyzed via HPLC with post-column photochemical derivatization and fluorescence detection. The assay has been validated in the concentration range of 0.5-100 ng/ml using 1-ml samples. The method has been successfully utilized to support human clinical pharmacokinetic studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Drug Metabolism, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486, USA.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Woolf
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Matuszewski
mesh_terms: D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007783:Lactones / Q000097:blood*; D010777:Photochemistry; D012015:Reference Standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013450:Sulfones
chemical_list: D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors; D007783:Lactones; D013450:Sulfones; C116926:rofecoxib