High-performance liquid chromatographic–tandem mass spectrometric evaluation and determination of stable isotope labeled analogs of rofecoxib in human plasma samples from oral bioavailability studies

A method for the simultaneous determination of a cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, 4-(4-methanesulfonylphenyl)-3-phenyl-5H-furan-2-one (rofecoxib, I) and [13C7]rofecoxib, (II), in human plasma has been developed to support the clinical oral bioavailability (BA) study of I. The method is based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometric (APCI-MS–MS) detection in the negative ionization mode using a heated nebulizer interface. Two different stable isotope labeled analogs of I were initially evaluated for their use as intravenous (i.v.) markers in the BA study. [13CD3]Rofecoxib was shown to be isotopically unstable in plasma and water containing solvent and an efficient deuterium exchange prevented its use in the study. On the other hand, the isotopic integrity of the subsequently synthesized [13C7]rofecoxib (II) was maintained, as expected, in plasma and other solvent systems. The results of these experiments clearly demonstrated the need for the careful evaluation of the isotopic integrity of the stable isotope labeled compound for the successful utilization of these compounds in BA studies and also as internal standards in the quantitative analysis of drugs in biological fluids. After liquid–liquid extraction of I, II, and internal standard (III) from plasma, the analytes were chromatographed on a narrow bore (100 mm×3.0 mm) C18 analytical column, with mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile–water (1:1, v/v) at a flow-rate of 0.5 ml/min. The MS–MS detection was performed on a PE Sciex API III Plus tandem mass spectrometer operated in the selected reaction monitoring mode. The precursor→product ion combinations of m/z 313→257, 320→292, and 327→271 were used to quantify I, II, and III, respectively. The assay was validated in the concentration range of 0.1 to 100 ng/ml of plasma for both I and II. The precision of the assay (expressed as relative standard deviation) was less than 10% at all concentrations within the standard curve range, with adequate assay accuracy. The assay was utilized to support the clinical BA study in which oral doses of I were administered together with an i.v. dose of II to determine the oral BA of rofecoxib at 12.5- and 25-mg doses.