The advantages that on-line breath analysis has shown in different fields have already made it stand as an interesting tool for pharmacokinetic studies. This review summarizes recent progress in the field, diving into the different analytical methods and the different advantages and hurdles encountered. We conclude that there is a wealth of limitations in the application of this technique, and key aspects like standardization are still outstanding. Nevertheless, this is an experimental field that has not yet been fully explored; and the advantages it offers for animal welfare, decrease in the amount of drug needed in experimental studies, and complementary insights to current pharmacological studies, warrant further exploration. Further studies are needed to overcome current limitations and incorporate this technique into the toolbox of pharmacological studies, both at an industrial and academic level.
Keywords: Exhaled breath; Pharmacokinetics; Pharmacometabolomics; Real-time.
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