Non-allowed Pharmacologically Active Substances in Physical and Sexual Performance Enhancing Products

Title:Non-allowed Pharmacologically Active Substances in Physical and Sexual Performance Enhancing Products

Volume: 15 Issue: 5

Author(s): Manuela Pellegrinia*, Maria Concetta Rotolo, Francesco Paolo Busardò, Roberta Pacifici and Simona Pichini

Affiliation:

• Drug Abuse and Doping Unit, Department of Therapeutic Research and Medicines Evaluation, Istituto Superiore di Sanita, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome,Italy

Keywords: Physical performance enhancing products, sexual performance enhancing products, anabolic steroids, sildenafil, psychoactive substances.

Abstract: Background: Recently, a large amount of physical and sexual performance enhancing products have started to be freely sold mainly on internet web sites as dietary supplements. However, there a high suspicion that pharmacologically active substance, prohibited in these products, can be present to provide the expected effect.

Methods: A simple and rapid systematic toxicological analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry has been applied after a liquidliquid extraction at acidic, neutral and alkaline pH with chloroform-isopropanol (9:1 v/v). The assays were validated in the range from 10 mg to 250 mg/g products showing a good linearity for the calibration curves (r2 ≥0.99). Mean extraction recoveries of analytes from different products were always higher than 90% and intra-assay and inter-assay precision and accuracy were always better than 15%.

Results: The developed method was applied to the analysis of products with a high percentage of sales in websites and smart and sexy shops. In twelve of eighty supplements, anabolic steroids, antiestrogenic drugs, psychoactive substances and sildenafil and analogs were identified and quantified.

Conclusion: Eventual health hazards caused by the hidden presence of pharmacologically active substances in physical and sexual performance enhancing products are reported.

Cite this article as:

Pellegrinia Manuela*, Rotolo Concetta Maria, Busardò Paolo Francesco, Pacifici Roberta and Pichini Simona, Non-allowed Pharmacologically Active Substances in Physical and Sexual Performance Enhancing Products, Current Neuropharmacology 2017; 15 (5) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1570159X14666161028125903

DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1570159X14666161028125903	Print ISSN 1570-159X
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher	Online ISSN 1875-6190