Recent advances in unique sample preparation techniques for bioanalysis

The extraction and/or purification of drugs and medicines from biological matrices are important objectives in investigating their toxicological and pharmaceutical properties. Many widely used methods such as liquid-liquid extraction or SPE, used for extracting, purifying and enriching drugs and medicines found in biological materials, involve laborious, intensive and expensive preparatory procedures, and they require organic solvents that are toxic to both humans and the environment. Recent trends are focused on miniaturization, high-throughput and automation techniques. All the advantages and disadvantages of these techniques and devices in biological analysis are presented, and their applications in the extraction and/or purification of drugs and medicines from biological matrices are discussed in this review.