A Critical Review of Analytical Methods in Pharmaceutical Matrices for Determination of Corticosteroids.

Corticosteroids are a class of hormones released by the adrenal cortex, which includes glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids. Glucocorticoids have an important role in the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins and calcium and effective anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive activity. Due to their intense immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activity, glucocorticoids are used in the treatment of various inflammatory, malignant, allergic conditions such as rhinitis, asthma, dermatological, rheumatic, ophthalmic and neurological diseases, as well as after organ transplants. They are the most widely prescribed drugs in the world. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of the analytical methods in pharmaceutical matrices for determination of corticosteroids. In this study, the predominance of liquid chromatography methods for the analysis of corticosteroids from pharmaceutical products is evident for both liquid and semisolid dosage forms as well as for solids. The same can be said for topical, oral and parenteral formulations. Methods such as spectrophotometry are also used, but given the advantages of chromatographic methods such as better selectivity and sensitivity, they have become the choice for analysis of these drugs, however, most methods still do not meet the credentials of "green chemistry."

Analytical Methods for the Determination of Rosuvastatin in Pharmaceutical Formulations and Biological Fluids: A Critical Review.

Rosuvastatin calcium (ROS), ( Figure 1 ) belongs to the "statins" group, which is the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor. This drug is indicated for dyslipidemias treatment and can help to decrease the level of "bad cholesterol" and can consequently reduce the development of atherosclerosis and the risk of heart diseases. ROS was developed by Astra-Zeneca and it was approved in 2003 by the FDA in the United States. In 2015, under the trade name Crestor®, it was the fourth largest selling drug in the United States with sales above $5 billion. This study presents a literature review of analytical methods for the quantification of ROS in pharmaceutical preparations and biological fluids. The major analytical methods described in this study for ROS were spectrophotometry, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to ultraviolet (UV) detection, and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).