engleski

Dietary supplement analysis – tool for improving patient healthcare

Background: Dietary supplements are readily accessible in pharmacies, health food stores and on-line. Although these products are extensively used worldwide, they are inadequately regulated, and patients are misled by the manufacturers. Thus, quality control assays are required to ensure safety of products available to the public. Objective: In this presentation, recently developed, validated and applied methods for determination of active and toxic ingredients in dietary supplements used for treatment of various conditions by chromatographic and spectrometric techniques will be presented. Methods: Direct- injection mass spectrometry was used for identification of biologically active ingredients while liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry was used for their quantitation. On the other hand, gas chromatography coupled with flame ionization detector and atomic absorption spectrometry were used for comprehensive assessment of toxic ingredients. Results: Our investigations revealed high deviations between label content and levels of active compounds found in dietary supplements used for treatment of various conditions. Furthermore, high amounts of ethanol were found in several products especially designed for children. Metal impurities were below the limits established by USP. Conclusion: The only source of information for patients about dietary supplements and their composition is their label. In order to ensure a high level of patients’ protection and facilitate their choice, dietary supplements must be safe and appropriately labeled. Foundings: This research was funded by the Croatian Science Foundation, grant numbers HRZZ- UIP-2017-05-3949 and HRZZ-DOK-2018- 01-9047.

dietary supplement, HPLC, GC

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