Validation of HPLC-DAD method for analysis of sibutramine, fluoxetine, caffeine, theobromine and phenolphthalein as potential adulterants in weight loss dietary supplements

Weight loss dietary supplements are dynamically growing group of consumer’s products as they are used for speeding up the process of weight loss in the treatment of obesity. In order to comply with the minimal regulatory requirements in demonstrating efficacy (Koncz et al., 2021), some manufacturers are economically motivated for the addition of unauthorized ingredients to enhance their slimming effects. This substandard practice known as adulteration is becoming health concern and more important since dietary supplements are not assessed and approved prior to commercialization (Rocha et al., 2016). Moreover, these products are widely available in pharmacies, some retail stores or over the Internet (Rebiere et al., 2012). Therefore, detection of the substances used for adulteration remains a great challenge for the regulatory. The aim of this study was to validate a HPLC-DAD method for simultaneous determination of sibutramine, fluoxetine, caffeine, theobromine and phenolphthalein, which are reported as the most common adulterants of weight loss supplements (Khazan, 2014). Materials and methods