Fatty Acid and Phytosterol Content of Commercial Saw Palmetto Supplements

Abstract

Saw palmetto supplements are one of the most commonly consumed supplements by men with prostate cancer and/or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Some studies have found significant improvements in BPH and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) with saw palmetto supplementation, whereas others found no benefits. The variation in the efficacy in these trials may be a result of differences in the putative active components, fatty acids and phytosterols, of the saw palmetto supplements. To this end, we quantified the major fatty acids (laurate, myristate, palmitate, stearate, oleate, linoleate) and phytosterols (campesterol, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol) in 20 commercially available saw palmetto supplements using GC-FID and GC-MS, respectively. Samples were classified into liquids, powders, dried berries, and tinctures. Liquid saw palmetto supplements contained significantly higher (p < 0.05) concentrations of total fatty acids (908.5 mg/g), individual fatty acids, total phytosterols (2.04 mg/g), and individual phytosterols, than the other supplement categories. Powders contained significantly higher (p < 0.05) concentrations of total fatty acids than tinctures, which contain negligible amounts of fatty acids (46.3 mg/g) and phytosterols (0.10 mg/g). Our findings suggest that liquid saw palmetto supplements may be the best choice for individuals who want to take a saw palmetto supplement with the highest concentrations of both fatty acids and phytosterols.

Extraction of natural compounds using supercritical CO2: Going from the laboratory to the industrial application

“…Saw palmetto herbal supplements are commonly used to combat prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia (a nonmalignant enlargement of the prostate) in men [56]. Saw palmetto inhibits the enzyme (5α-reductase) that converts testosterone into the more potent androgen dihydrotestoterone [56]. The bioactive components of saw palmetto are believed to be saturated, medium-chain fatty acids (lauric, C12:0; myristic, C14:0) acids (~90%) and phytosterols [56], which are readily extracted with scCO 2 [49].…”

“…The cosmetic industry uses the oils of evening primrose and rosehip seeds in moisturizing creams because of their high content of unsaturated fatty acids [49]. Saw palmetto herbal supplements are commonly used to combat prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia (a nonmalignant enlargement of the prostate) in men [56]. Saw palmetto inhibits the enzyme (5α-reductase) that converts testosterone into the more potent androgen dihydrotestoterone [56].…”

“…Saw palmetto inhibits the enzyme (5α-reductase) that converts testosterone into the more potent androgen dihydrotestoterone [56]. The bioactive components of saw palmetto are believed to be saturated, medium-chain fatty acids (lauric, C12:0; myristic, C14:0) acids (~90%) and phytosterols [56], which are readily extracted with scCO 2 [49].…”

Determination by GC-IT/MS of Phytosterols in Herbal Medicinal Products for the Treatment of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms and Food Products Marketed in Europe

“…The phytosterols of each sample were separated after alkaline hydrolysis by liquid/liquid extraction, and analyzed as their corresponding TMS ethers by GC-IT/MS, because the sensitivity in scan mode is much higher with IT instruments than with quadrupole instruments [10,11]. Gas chromatography is well established for the analysis of sterols with FID [11][12][13][14] and MS detection [9,11,[15][16][17].…”

“…So a differentiation between unique Δ 7 -phytosterols and the ubiquitous Δ 5 -phytosterol β-sitosterol (8) and others (2, 4, and 5) was of special interest in our present investigation. Penugonda [9] already analyzed the Δ 5 -phytosterols campesterol Abstract ! A method for the determination of phytosterols in herbal medicinal products for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms and food products is described here.…”