Metabolomics Approach for Validation of Self-Reported Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen Use

Over-the-counter analgesic use is common and is typically assessed through self-report; therefore, it is subject to misclassification. Detection of drug metabolites in biofluids offers a viable tool for validating self-reported analgesic use. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the utility of a metabolomics approach for the validation of acetaminophen and ibuprofen use in blood samples. Untargeted mass spectrometry-based metabolomics analysis was conducted in serum samples from 1547 women and plasma samples from 556 men. The presence of two metabolites each for acetaminophen and ibuprofen at levels at or above a defined cutoff value was used to determine concordance with self-reported use. For acetaminophen use based on the presence of both acetaminophen and acetamidophenylglucuronide, concordance was 98.5–100% among individuals reporting use today, and 79.8–91.4% for those reporting never or rare use. Ibuprofen use based on the presence of both carboxyibuprofen and hydroxyibuprofen resulted in concordance of 51.3–52.5% for individuals reporting use today and 99.4–100% for those reporting never or rare use. Our findings suggest that an untargeted metabolomics approach in blood samples may be useful for validating self-reported acetaminophen use. However, this approach appears unlikely to be suitable for validating ibuprofen use.