In this special issue of “Current Analytical Chemistry” journal, named “Current Analytical Techniques and Applications in
Pharmaceutical Analysis”, recent developments on drug analysis, some analytical techniques for pharmaceutical analyses such
as Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatographic Techniques, Box-Behnken Optimized Methodology, electrochemical techniques
etc., are discussed. This special issue includes two volumes, will combine not only different analyzing methods, to support the
prosperity of analytical chemistry, but also development of new researches on pharmaceutical analyses to support the importance
of pharmaceutical studies. Several important scientists contributed to share their ideas in this thematic issue. We
would like to thank them one by one for their valuable contributions.
In this thematic issue Volume I, there exist 7 review papers and 3 research papers. Nowadays, nanostructured materials have
a great variety of applications. Some of them are used in electrochemistry to modify electrodes. Subsequently, in this issue, the
first review, by P. Krzyczmonik and S. Skrzypek, addresses the “Composites of poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) with
nanostructures as electrochemical sensors for application in bioelectroanalysis” [1]. “Recent progress in the analysis of captopril
using electrochemical Methods” are discussed by Mahesar et al. [2]. In their review, some important applications of electrochemical
modes used for the analysis of captopril, the active pharmaceutical ingredient in antihypertensive drug has been
discussed. This review highlights the role of the analytical instrumentation, particularly electrochemical methods in assessing
captopril using various working electrodes. In another review paper, Fatma Ağın shared researches about “Electroanalytical
methods for determination of calcium channel blockers” [3]. This review mainly includes recent determination studies of calcium
channel blockers by electroanalytical methods from pharmaceutical dosage forms and biological samples, as calcium channel
blockers are widely used in treatment of cardiovascular heart diseases in recent years.
Furthermore, “Electrochemical sensors based on molecularly imprinted polymers for pharmaceuticals analysis” topic is well
discussed by the authors Radi et al. [4]. This review discussed the development of chemical sensing of drugs in pharmaceutical
formulations and biological matrices using Molecular-Imprinting Polymer (MIP) as a recognition element combined with different
electrochemical signal transduction. The MIP electrochemical sensors based on nanomaterials such as graphene, carbon
nanotubes, nanoparticles, as well as other electrode modifiers incorporated into the MIPs to enhance the sensors performance,
have been reviewed.
In another review contribution, entitled as “Voltammetric analysis of atypical antipsychotic drugs with solid electrodes” has
found place by Dilek Kul [5]. This review presents voltammetric methods used for the determination of some electrochemically
active atypical antipsychotic drugs, which are amisulpride, aripiprazole, clozapine, olanzapine, quetiapine fumarate, risperidone,
sertindole, and ziprasidone, in pure solutions, pharmaceutical dosage forms and biological samples using various unmodified
and modified solid electrodes. Another interesting review paper suggested by Srivastava et al., entitled as “Voltammetric
techniques for the analysis of drugs using nanomaterials based chemically modified electrodes” [6]. Their paper focuses solely
on application of electroanalytical techniques for individual and simultaneous analysis of drugs as well as in pharmaceutical
formulations of dosage forms and biological media such as blood serum, urine, etc. for various classes of drugs such as analgesics,
anti-helmentics, anti-tuberculosis, cardiovascular, antipsychotics, anti-allergic, antibiotics and gastro-intestinal.
Besides, Kurbanoglu et al., contributed to this thematic issue with a motivating review paper entitled as “Recent advances on
drug analyses using Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatographic (UPLC) techniques and their application to the biological
samples” [7]. The recent selected studies related to the UPLC method and its method validation were summarized, and the results
of these studies with certain parameters obtained from literature were presented. Guzmán et al., contributed to our thematic
issue with a research paper entitled as “A Box-Behnken Optimized Methodology for the Quantification of Diclofenac using a Carbon
Paste-Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Electrode” [8]. This paper presents the development of an optimized voltammetric
methodology for the quantification of diclofenac, which offers some advantages over other electrochemical and accepted methods.
In another contribution, “Electrochemical detection of ct-dsDNA on nanomaterial-modified carbon based electrodes” is reported
by Bozal-Palabiyik et al. [9]. This paper reports preparation, characterization of two different nanomaterials and their electrochemical
application on double stranded calf-thymus DNA signals. Here, the multi-walled carbon nanotubes were functionalized with
amine groups (MWCNTs-NH2) by employing the dielectric barrier discharge plasma treatment. Both dsDNA modified electrodes
were employed to explore the interaction between the dsDNA and the anticancer drug etoposide in aqueous solution through
voltammetric techniques.
In the last contribution, again a research paper was appeared by Secci et al., entitled as “Investigation on the stability of new
biologically active thiosemicarbazone-derived compounds by a validated HPLC-PDA method” [10]. This paper reports the development and validation of an HPLC-PDA method for the simultaneous determination and chemical-physical stability evaluation
after forced decomposition studies of thiosemicarbazone-derived compounds endowed with interesting pharmacological
activities.
We tried to combine different kinds of analyzing methods, discussed by different authors, to maintenance the riches of analytical
chemistry. Therefore, we believe that this thematic issue will be very useful for the readers that wanted to have broad
knowledge. We believe that you, as the valuable readers of Current Analytical Chemistry journal, will find out new information,
topic of interest, new ideas from this thematic issue and we hope that this thematic issue will encourage researches to
achieve analysis of pharmaceutical active compounds using different kinds of methods.
We would like to thank all of the authors one more time for their excellent contributions, the Editors of “CURRENT
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY” for this kind invitation to act as guest editors for this thematic issue and the valuable assistance
by Editorial Manager, Syed Faizan Akhtar in the processing and finalization of this special theme issue.