SPME and Related Techniques in Biomedical Research

This chapter describes a wide range of applications of the SPME technique in biomedical research, beginning from investigations focused on the monitoring of the level of drugs used in the treatment of different diseases, through targeted analysis of endogenous compounds (metabolites) to untargeted metabolomics studies. The reader will find information about diverse SPME sampling strategies adopted to address demanding tasks, e.g., single cell analysis or on site sampling at the surgery room, discussion of unique features of SPME, and the areas of science, where the technology can be successfully deployed. In the first part of this chapter, various SPME protocols in the analysis of drugs used in cardiovascular and central nervous system diseases, immunosuppressants, anticancer drugs, and medications used in pain therapy are summarized. In addition, the aspects related to the application of SPME sampling in drug binding studies are described. In the second part of this chapter, the overview of the SPME technique in the determination of non-volatile and volatile compounds within targeted and untargeted metabolomic approaches along with their applications in the microbial, cellular, tissue, and biofluid analysis within different areas of medical science is presented. Finally, the authors discuss the issues related to the stability of target compounds based on several investigations utilizing SPME technology in comparison to traditional techniques described in the literature. Finally, present and future perspectives about the SPME technology in the area of bioanalysis and medical diagnostics are provided.