A review of current bioanalytical approaches in sample pretreatment techniques for the determination of antidepressants in biological specimens

Antidepressants are a class of compounds widely used in clinical settings for the treatment of several diseases. In the last years there has been a considerable increase in their consumption, representing an important public health issue in several countries. Because they are substances with narrow therapeutic windows, and since they are capable of interacting with other classes of compounds, monitoring of these compounds is of relevance, minimizing the risk of medical interactions as well as side and toxic effects. In addition, understanding the extent of their use, their detection through routine toxicology tests and development of new methods for detection and monitoring is of extreme importance concerning public health, patient well-being, and implications in clinical and forensic situations. The main objective of this work is to perform a critical review on the biological samples used in the detection and quantification of antidepressants with special focus on the techniques for sample preparation.