Chiral drugs: Sources, absolute configuration identification, pharmacological applications, and future research trends

Chirality is one of the essential attributes of nature. Chiral drugs refer to a class of drugs containing chiral centers, and the molecular stereo-structures of their enantiomers are non-superimposable mirror images of each other. Sixty percent of commonly used drugs, including those from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), are chiral. Developing a single enantiomer with high efficiency and low toxicity has drawn considerable attention due to significant differences in pharmacological activities, metabolic processes, and toxicity exhibited by the enantiomers of chiral drugs. This review concisely summarizes chiral drugs, including their sources, absolute configuration identification, pharmacological applications, and future research trends, particularly in TCM.