Applications of headspace solid-phase microextraction in human biological matrix analysis

Abstract The inherent complexity of the human biological matrix and its importance in modern medical diagnosis and medical research promote the development of modern analytical technology. Solid-phase microextraction technology has been widely used in the treatment and analysis of different complex biological matrices due to its smaller sample size, simpler sample preparation and setting, and lower consumption of harmful chemicals. This review provides updated information on headspace solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography technique applications, focusing on the analysis of volatile and semivolatile compounds in human biological matrices. The application of headspace solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography techniques in human biological matrix analysis is mainly summarized into three aspects, namely, to discover biomarkers, to investigate volatile metabolomics, and to explore the effect of the external environment on volatile metabolomics of the human biological matrix. In addition, the frequently used statistical analytical methods are summarized, and the application prospect of solid-phase microextraction in the analysis of human biological matrices is proposed.