A high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the analysis of norfloxacin [1-ethyl-6-fluoro-1,4-dihydro-4-oxo-7-(1-piperazinyl)-3-quinolinecarboxylic acid], a new nalidixic acid analog, in human serum and urine is described. A statistical evaluation of the assay data showed acceptable accuracy and precision for 0.1 to 10.0 ,ug of MK-366 per ml of serum and for 1.0 to 500 ,ug of MK-366 per ml of urine. MK-366 was extracted from serum and urine at pH 7.5 with methylene chloride and back-extracted with sodium hydroxide solution. Chromatography was performed on an anion-exchange column with acetonitrilephosphate buffer as the mobile phase; UV absorbance was monitored at 273 nm. The method was used to measure MK-366 in clinical specimens.boxylic acid] is a new broad-spectrum antibacterial agent that is structurally related to nalidixic acid (Fig. 1). MK-366 exhibits greater antibacterial activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria than other nalidixic acid analogs and exhibits greater activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa than gentamicin (1,2 Extraction of samples. Serum (1 ml) or urine (200 pul) was thoroughly mixed with 100 p.l of 0.05 N NaOH (containing standards preparing the standard curve) in a 40-ml glass extraction tube. Methylene chloride (11 ml) and 0.5 M sodium phosphate buffer (0.5 ml, pH 7.5) were then added, and the tubes were gently shaken for 10 min on a mechanical shaker. After phase separation by centrifugation at 1,500 x g for 5 min, 10 ml of the methylene chloride layer was transferred to a second 40-ml extraction tube. Fresh methylene chloride (11 ml) was added to the first extraction tube, and a second extraction was performed; 10 ml of the second extract was pooled with the first organic phase.