Extractionless determination of 6-methoxy-2-naphthylacetic acid, a major metabolite of nabumetone, in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

Following oral administration of the prodrug nabumetone, the major metabolite 6-methoxy-2-naphthylacetic acid (6-MNA) was determined in human plasma. Minimal sample preparation was followed by reversed-phase liquid chromatography and UV detection, affording high sample throughput. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 70 ng/ml, at a signal-to-noise ratio of 8:1. The assay method displayed good correlation (r=0.997), and can be readily employed in pharmacokinetic and bioequivalence studies.