Microdialysis of Large Molecules

Abstract

Microdialysis is a validated and well-established technique for recovering and measurement of exogenous as well as endogenous small molecules in the interstitial spaces of various tissues. Microdialysis of large molecular weight compounds has become possible due to the availability of large molecular weight cutoff membranes and is being explored extensively. There are increasing reports of successful recovery of large molecules such as proteins, cytokines, and neuropeptides using microdialysis. This is not only useful for studying protein expression but also for clinical evaluation of disease biomarkers in different tissues. Large pore microdialysis along with open flow microperfusion offers great promise in determining interstitial tissue concentrations of therapeutic proteins including monoclonal antibodies and helps in understanding their pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationship.

Keywords: interstitial fluid; macromolecules; microdialysis; monoclonal antibodies; open flow microperfusion; pharmacodynamics; pharmacokinetics.