Capillary electrophoresis and microdialysis: current technology and applications

Microdialysis sampling has become an important method for the continuous monitoring from an in vivo environment. This technique has been used to monitor many endogenous molecules, such as neurotransmitters, as well as exogenous species such as drug substances. Microdialysis samples have traditionally been analyzed by liquid chromatographic (LC) methods to gain resolution and quantification of the molecules of interest. However, LC separations have a relatively large injection volume requirement which, as a consequence, increases microdialysis sampling times. Capillary electrophoresis (CE), with its very small sample volume requirements and high resolving power, has therefore gained popularity as an alternative to LC. Reviewed here are many of the technologies currently available for CE and examples of how this technique has been effectively applied to the analysis of microdialysis samples.