Abstract

Fluoxetine, a widely prescribed chiral selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, exists as two enantiomers—S-fluoxetine and R-fluoxetine—that exhibit distinct pharmacological activities. Effective separation of these enantiomers is essential to ensure therapeutic efficacy while minimizing adverse effects. This review critically examines recent advancements in fluoxetine enantioseparation using capillary electrophoresis (CE), with particular emphasis on chiral selector applications, buffer system optimization, and electrophoretic condition modifications that enhance resolution. We highlight the utilization of cyclodextrins, proteins, and ionic liquids as chiral selectors, evaluating their respective mechanisms and performance characteristics. CE offers significant advantages over conventional chromatographic techniques, including superior separation efficiency, rapid analysis times, and minimal sample volume requirements—benefits particularly valuable for analyzing fluoxetine in complex biological and pharmaceutical matrices. This comprehensive synthesis of current methodologies addresses existing knowledge gaps, provides mechanistic insights into chiral recognition, and identifies promising directions for future development, ultimately supporting safer and more effective therapeutic applications of fluoxetine.

Keywords

fluoxetine, enantiomer separation, capillary electrophoresis, chiral selectors, pharmaceutical analysis