Quantitation of monoterpenoid compounds with potential medicinal use in biological fluids

Alicyclic monoterpenes are not only used as flavoring substances, but many have also been used in herbal products and as home remedies. Their formal use as potential drugs has recently been recognized. Consequently, the previous emphasis of the analytical methods on separation and identification of components has now evolved to the development of highly sensitive and specific quantitation methods capable of measuring the parent compounds and metabolites in biological fluids in order to meet the demand in drug development. This review aims to survey and describe major quantitative methods for some of the monoterpenes that possess medicinal applications. This review also comments on the favorable aspects of some of these assay methods as well as future trends.