title: Cerebral microdialysis in glioma studies, from theory to application.
abstract: Despite recent advances in the treatment of solid tumors, there are few effective treatments for malignant gliomas due to the infiltrative nature, and the protective shield of blood-brain barrier or blood-tumor barriers that restrict the passage of chemotherapy drugs into the brain. Imaging techniques, such as PET and MRI, have allowed the assessment of tumor function in vivo, but they are indirect measures of activity and do not easily allow continuous repeated evaluations. Because the biology of glioma on a cellular and molecular level is fairly unknown, especially in relation to various treatments, the development of novel therapeutic approaches to this devastating condition requires a strong need for a deeper understanding of the tumor's pathophysiology and biochemistry. Cerebral microdialysis, a probe-based sampling technique, allows a discrete volume of the brain to be sampled for neurochemical analysis of neurotransmitters, metabolites, biomarkers, and chemotherapy drugs, which has been employed in studying brain tumors, and is significant for improving the treatment of glioma. In this review, the current concepts of cerebral microdialysis for glioma are elucidated, with a special emphasis on its application to neurochemistry and pharmacokinetic studies.
authors.affiliation: The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, China.
authors.forename: Xiangyi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.affiliation: The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, China.
authors.forename: Yuefeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.affiliation: The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, China. Electronic address: xgzhang@zju.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xingguo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000378:metabolism; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D005910:Glioma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D017551:Microdialysis / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: Cerebral microdialysis; Glioma; Neurochemistry; Pharmacokinetics; Unbound tissue concentration