A validated LC/UV method for the determination of four adulterating drugs in herbal slimming capsules

Russo, Giacomo; Barbato, Francesco; Grumetto, Lucia

Abstract

A simple LC/UV method for the simultaneous identification and quantification of Fluoxetine, Tiratricol, Benfluorex and Pseudoephedrine in slimming formulation is proposed. The method demonstrated effective in the analyses of herbal mixtures marketed in Italy as slimming capsules. Sixteen different herbal mixtures, selected among the most frequently compounded in Italian pharmacies, were tested as matrices. HPLC analyses were performed in a gradient mode on a C18 stationary phase The method was validated for accuracy, precision, linearity and selectivity. The limits of detection (LOD) were 3.4 μg/mL for Pseudoephedrine, 1.1 μg/mL for Triac, 0.9 μg/mL for Fluoxetine, and 0.8 μg/mL for Benfluorex. Repeatability and intermediate precision, expressed as percent of relative standard deviation, ranged from 3 to 7 and from 7 to 12, respectively. Given these limits, the developed method is proposed for the simple and cost effective screening of herbal products illegally adulterated with these four drugs known to enhance slimming effects.

Citation

Russo, G., Barbato, F., & Grumetto, L. (2016). A validated LC/UV method for the determination of four adulterating drugs in herbal slimming capsules. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, 117, 436-445. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpba.2015.09.027

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 22, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Sep 26, 2015
• Publication Date: Jan 5, 2016
• Deposit Date: Mar 31, 2020
• Journal: Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis
• Print ISSN: 0731-7085
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 117
• Pages: 436-445
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpba.2015.09.027
• Keywords: Benfluorex; Fluoxetine; Pseudoephedrine; Tiratricol; Herbal slimming capsules; LC/UV
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2649465