Stępień Krzysztof Adam, Giebułtowicz Joanna
Department of Bioanalysis and Drugs Analysis, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Warsaw, 1 Banacha, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland.
Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2022 Apr 4;15(4):448. doi: 10.3390/ph15040448.
Dietary supplements are widely consumed in the EU and the USA. Based on their similarity to pharmaceuticals, consumers mistakenly believe that dietary supplements have also been approved for safety and efficacy. However, in the absence of mandatory testing, data on supplement quality is scarce. Thus, we applied liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry to analyse the quality of dietary supplements containing tryptophan (Trp). We examined 22 supplements in tablets or capsules, produced in the USA, Great Britain, Germany, France, Czech Republic, and Poland. Trp release, crucial for bioavailability and efficiency, was assessed. Additionally, we performed a qualitative analysis of the main ingredient and screened for contaminants. Among the contaminants, we detected Trp's metabolites, condensation products of Trp and carbonyl compounds, Trp degradation products, degradation products of kynurenine, and other contaminants such as glucosamine and melatonin. The main ingredient content was in the range of 55-100% in capsules and 69-87% in tablets. Surprisingly, almost no Trp release was noted from some supplements. Our study confirms the need to advance research on supplements. We believe that the high-quality analysis of supplements based on reliable analytical techniques will be an important contribution to the discussion on the regulatory framework of these products.
膳食补充剂在欧盟和美国被广泛食用。基于它们与药品的相似性，消费者错误地认为膳食补充剂也已通过安全性和有效性的批准。然而，由于缺乏强制性检测，关于补充剂质量的数据很少。因此，我们应用液相色谱-串联质谱法来分析含色氨酸（Trp）的膳食补充剂的质量。我们检测了22种在美国、英国、德国、法国、捷克共和国和波兰生产的片剂或胶囊形式的补充剂。对色氨酸释放情况进行了评估，这对生物利用度和功效至关重要。此外，我们对主要成分进行了定性分析并筛查了污染物。在污染物中，我们检测出色氨酸的代谢物、色氨酸与羰基化合物的缩合产物、色氨酸降解产物、犬尿氨酸降解产物以及其他污染物，如氨基葡萄糖和褪黑素。胶囊中主要成分含量在55%至100%之间，片剂中在69%至87%之间。令人惊讶的是，一些补充剂几乎没有色氨酸释放。我们的研究证实了推进补充剂研究的必要性。我们认为基于可靠分析技术对补充剂进行高质量分析将对这些产品监管框架的讨论做出重要贡献。
