Trends in extraction techniques for the determination of organic micropollutants in liver tissues of vertebrates

Anal Bioanal Chem. 2025 Jan;417(3):535-553. doi: 10.1007/s00216-024-05628-8. Epub 2024 Nov 7.

Abstract

Determining organic micropollutants in liver samples of apex species is of foremost importance for biomonitoring studies, as it can provide evidence of environmental pollution and exposure of living organisms to chemicals. This review aims to provide a 4-year overview and summarize the trends in the extraction methodologies to determine both polar and non-polar organic micropollutants in liver samples from organisms of higher trophic levels. The dominant extraction techniques including ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), pressurized liquid extraction (PLE), Soxhlet, and QuEChERS, as well as additional steps and/or modifications applied in the reviewed studies, are presented and critically discussed. The latest trends in these methods as well as a comparison between them considering elapsed time, robustness, cost, and environmental fingerprint are also provided.

Keywords: Extraction techniques; Liver; Mass spectrometry; Organic micropollutants; Vertebrates.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Chemical Fractionation / instrumentation
  • Chemical Fractionation / methods
  • Environmental Monitoring / methods
  • Environmental Pollutants* / isolation & purification
  • Liver* / chemistry
  • Organic Chemicals* / isolation & purification
  • Vertebrates*

Substances

  • Organic Chemicals
  • Environmental Pollutants