Recent advances in SPE-chiral-HPLC methods for enantiomeric separation of chiral drugs in biological samples.

In medical practices, the determination of enantiomeric ratio of the chiral drugs is very important for their activities, bioavailabilities and biodegradation. Only homochiral medication is safe for humans. The chiral analysis in biological samples is the first and most important step. The present article describes the technical strategies of the enantiomeric resolution of racemic drugs in biological samples. Attempts have been made to describe sample preparation by solid-phase extraction and enantiomeric resolution by chiral high-performance liquid chromatography. Various chiral stationary phases used in chiral separations of racemic drugs have been described. Efforts are also made to discuss the chiral recognition mechanism and future perspectives of chiral analyses in biological samples.