Recent developments and applications of solid phase microextraction as a sample preparation approach for mass-spectrometry-based metabolomics and lipidomics

This review presents, from a critical perspective, the most remarkable and recent applications of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) as a sample preparation tool for mass-spectrometry-based targeted and untargeted metabolomics and lipidomics. In this review, the advantages and disadvantages of SPME as an approach for extracting/enriching metabolites of interest, either in targeted or untargeted studies, are discussed. In addition, special attention is given to SPME's suitability for use with in vivo and non-destructive sampling in order to capture a representative snapshot of the metabolome. Finally, future directions for further validating SPME's applicability in the metabolomics field are highlighted.