Sensitive and selective silver nanoparticle-based fluorescence sensor for corticosteroid determination in...

Area of Science:

• Nanomaterials Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Pharmaceutical Analysis

Background:

• Glucocorticoids are vital for metabolic regulation and possess anti-inflammatory/immunosuppressive effects.
• Accurate determination of corticosteroids is crucial for therapeutic applications and quality control.
• Developing sensitive, selective, and eco-friendly analytical methods is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize stable silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) using a green chemical approach.
• To develop a sensitive and selective fluorometric assay for determining prednisolone sodium phosphate (PDN) and dexamethasone sodium phosphate (DXZ) using Ag-NPs.
• To validate the method for pharmaceutical analysis and quality control.

Main Methods:

• Green synthesis of stable silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) via chemical reduction.
• Utilizing Ag-NPs as a nano fluorescence probe for quantitative quenching assays.
• Spectrofluorometric determination of PDN and DXZ with limits of detection at 0.178 µg/mL and 0.145 µg/mL, respectively.
• Investigating quenching mechanisms using Stern-Volmer and Inner Filter Effect models.

Main Results:

• Synthesized highly stable Ag-NPs (zeta potential: -36.8 mV, size: 8±2 nm).
• Established a quantitative fluorometric assay for PDN and DXZ based on fluorescence quenching of Ag-NPs.
• Achieved low limits of detection (LOD) for PDN (0.178 µg/mL) and DXZ (0.145 µg/mL).
• Demonstrated method selectivity against other corticosteroids.

Conclusions:

• The developed Ag-NP-based fluorometric assay is sensitive, selective, and eco-friendly.
• The method is suitable for the determination of PDN and DXZ in pharmaceutical products.
• The approach aligns with ICH guidelines and is applicable for quality control laboratories.