title: Towards single-cell analysis for pharmacokinetics.
abstract: Traditional 'macroscopic' pharmacokinetics (PK) investigates the fate of drugs or toxicants administered externally to living organisms, described by the extent and rate of absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion. However, how a single cell affects a specific pharmaceutical after administration still remains a largely untouched area, primarily due to the technical restrictions imposed by minute amounts of chemicals involved. With the fast development of high-temporal and spatial-resolution detection techniques and single-cell handling techniques, it becomes possible to pursue single-cell PK. This review summarizes useful methodological and experimental techniques to investigate PK at the level of the single cell, including the microfluidics-based single-cell manipulation and the MS and electrochemical methods for single-cell analysis.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmaceutical Science & Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, Liaoning 116024s, China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Chang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yueyang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fang
mesh_terms: D015507:Drugs, Investigational / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D006801:Humans; D008280:Magnetics; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008839:Microelectrodes; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D052898:Optical Tweezers; D011199:Potentiometry; D059010:Single-Cell Analysis / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
chemical_list: D015507:Drugs, Investigational