Recent advances in SPME techniques in biomedical analysis

Biomedical analyses of drugs, metabolites, poisons, environmental and occupational pollutants, disease biomarkers and endogenous substances in body fluids and tissues are important in the development of new drugs, therapeutic monitoring, forensic toxicology, patient diagnosis, and biomonitoring of human exposure to hazardous chemicals. In these analyses, sample preparation is essential for isolation of desired components from complex biological matrices and greatly influences their reliable and accurate determination. Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is an effective sample preparation technique that has enabled miniaturization, automation and high-throughput performance. The use of SPME has reduced assay times, as well as the costs of solvents and disposal. This review focuses on recent advances in novel SPME techniques, including fiber SPME and in-tube SPME, in biomedical analysis. We also summarize the applications of these techniques to pharmacotherapeutic, forensic, and diagnostic studies, and to determinations of environmental and occupational exposure.