Background:
The illegal virtual market for food supplements facilitates fraud and
adulteration. Worldwide concern for consumer safety is growing on the part regulatory
agencies, healthcare professionals and consumers.
Objective:
This work aimed to evaluate the presence of sexual stimulants and anabolic
steroids commonly used in the adulteration of dietary supplements through the
development of a high performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array
detection (HPLC-DAD) method for the identification and quantification of these
compounds.
Method:
The mobile phase composed of an ammonium acetate solution, acetonitrile and
methanol leaded to the efficient separation of vardenafil, testosterone base, testosterone
propionate, tadalafil, sildenafil and yohimbine.
Results:
The assay was linear (r2> 0.999), precise (RSD% <0.5), accurate (99.1 to
105.2%), and the limits of detection and quantification were less than 0.05 and 0.15
μg/mL, respectively. Four samples of dietary supplements contained testosterone (n=1),
tadalafil (n=2) and yohimbine (n=1) as adulterants. The adulterants found were in
subtherapeutic doses, probably to reduce possible adverse effects and the action
expected to appear natural. Since about 80% of adverse drug reactions are dose
dependent. However, unpredictable adverse drug reactions are dose independent and
based on idiosyncratic or allergic mechanisms or intolerance.
Conclusion:
The developed method is convenient and easily applicable for adulteration detection of the
analyzed drugs in the multicomponent supplements.
