Simultaneous determination of rofecoxib and celecoxib in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

An innovative reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method is validated for the simultaneous determination of rofecoxib and celecoxib in human plasma. The internal standard is 4-n-pentyl-phenyl-acetic acid. Good chromatographic separation is achieved using a Zorbax SB-CN (5 microm) analytical column operated at room temperature and mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and water containing 0.1M potassium dihydrogen orthophosphate buffer adjusted to pH 2.4 with 85% orthophosphoric acid (42:58, v/v). UV detection is performed at 254 nm, and the flow rate is maintained at 1.0 mL/min. Plasma samples are extracted into an organic solvent (1-chlorobutane) and evaporated under an air flow. The calibration curve for rofecoxib is linear over the range of 10 to 500 microg/L, and the celecoxib calibration curve is linear over the range of 20 to 2000 microg/L. The lower limit of quantitation for rofecoxib and celecoxib is 10 and 20 microg/L, respectively, using 1.0 mL of human plasma. The validation data show that the assay is sensitive, accurate, specific, and reproducible for the determination of rofecoxib and celecoxib. This method is therefore appropriate for pharmacokinetic studies to quantitate these therapeutic agents in patients with arthritis conditions.