Pharmacokinetics and the analytical chemist

A prerequisite in pharmacokinetic studies is the development of analytical methods to assay the parent drug and its metabolites in biological fluids. For method development and application, a detailed knowledge of pharmacokinetics is not essential, but familiarity with its fundamental principles and terminology is necessary and helps in interpreting assay results and in interacting more effectively with colleagues who may be specialists in medical or related fields. The purpose of this article is to introduce the basic concepts of pharmacokinetics and some of the biological processes associated with it. Areas relevant to the needs of analytical chemists are discussed.