Chapter 12: Interplay Between Volatile Biomarkers and Body Fluids Check Access

When measuring volatile biomarkers originating from body fluids, the main focus, first and foremost, is the metabolic origin and concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in different body regions. To infer these data from measured concentrations, there is a need for models that enable one to calculate the values in different body locations. This chapter explains the basic physical principles and models for achieving this task. It will show how models make predictions and prevent pitfalls when interpreting volatile concentration data or how they can assist in the calculation of endogenous production and metabolic rates. For the sake of clarity, this chapter focuses on breath as a representative example.