Presence of synthetic pharmaceuticals as adulterants in slimming phytotherapeutic formulations and their analytical determination

Screening and Confirmation of Different Synthetic Adulterants in Slimming Products

“…Since these problems vigorously affect the public health, it could be necessary to use safe and harmless weight-loss supplements. Natural anti-obesity products have been always considered as attractive alternatives to synthetic products as they are publically advertised as products containing purely natural ingredients with lacking specific side effects [8,9]. The truth is that such herbal products seem to be weaker than synthetic slimming products and it could be nearly impossible to achieve rapid short-term effects, therefore some manufacturers often illegally add synthetic pharmaceutical drugs to the natural product to improve their efficacy and achieve huge profits, while the presence of these ingredients could not be discriminated due to misleading packaging [10][11][12][13].…”

“…The most common adulterant found in herbal products includes antiappetite derived from amphetamines, which cause a reduction in intestinal fat absorption [9]. Studies showed that about 80% of slimming products illegally available in the market include amphetamine derivatives [21].…”

“…Studies showed that about 80% of slimming products illegally available in the market include amphetamine derivatives [21]. Beyond amphetamines, benzodiazepines, some coadjuvants including diazepam, flurazepam, midazolam, and chlordiazepoxide antidepression compounds (fluoxetine), diuretics (furosemide, spironolactone, and hydrochlorothiazide), and laxatives (phenolphthalein) are only a few number of undeclared pharmaceuticals identified in slimming products [9].…”

A capillary zone electrophoretic method for the determination of hypoglycemics as adulterants in herbal formulations used for the treatment of diabetes

“…In a recent review, 16 we described that the classes of drugs most commonly used as adulterants are anti-inammatories, anorexics, diuretics, anxiolytics, analgesics, laxatives, hypoglycemics, antidepressants, central stimulants and stimulants for erectile dysfunction. In this context, fourteen hypoglycemic drugs have been found as adulterants in herbal formulations to date.…”

Quantitative determination of sibutramine in adulterated herbal slimming formulations by TLC-image analysis method

“…As a result, some manufacturers committed illegal adulterations of synthetic anorexics in order to improve the efficacy of their products for weight loss. Sibutramine hydrochloride (SH) has been one of the most commonly adulterated anorexic drugs found in herbal slimming formulations [3][4][5][6]. In many countries including Thailand, SH was withdrawn from the market due to an associated risk of serious cardiovascular events such as nonfatal heart attack and nonfatal stroke [7].…”