ABSTRACT
Corticosteroids are an important and often life-saving class of drugs. This chapter provides an introduction to different pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamics models, their clinical relevance, and applications. The liver and kidney are the main organs for glucocorticoid metabolism. High doses of corticosteroids are used in emergency treatments. Due to mineralocorticoid side effects, hydrocortisone and its prodrug cortisone are commonly replaced by synthetic corticosteroids for systemic therapy. Prednisolone is one of the most frequently used drugs in systemic corticosteroid therapy. Dexamethasone is a very potent corticosteroid due to its high receptor affinity. Triamcinolone acetonide belongs to a relatively new class of corticosteroids, such as budesonide, beclomethasone dipropionate, or flunisolide, which show a high ratio of intrinsic topical to systemic potency, due to rapid clearance and increased receptor affinity. Corticosteroid membrane receptors have been found on nerve cells and in peripheral tissues.
