Development and validation of rapid and simultaneous method for determination of 12 hair-growth compounds in adulterated products by UHPLC–MS/MS

Abstract

Synthetic hair-growth compounds have been illegally used in diverse products to enhance the short-term efficacy of these products. In this study, a rapid and simultaneous method for the determination of hair-growth compounds in adulterated products based on ultra high pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS) was developed and validated. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQs) of the method were 0.08–43.6ng/mL and 0.27–145ng/mL for the solid-, liquid-, and cream-type samples, respectively. Good calibration linearity for all compounds was demonstrated with a correlation coefficient (r2) higher than 0.997. The intra- and inter-assay precisions were within 11%. The corresponding accuracies were 86–117% and 81–113%, respectively. The mean recoveries obtained for the solid-, liquid, and cream-type samples ranged from 87 to 114%, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) within 6%. The RSD of the stability evaluated at 4°C for 48h was less than 6%. The established method was used to screen 76 samples advertised as hair-growth treatments, from online and offline markets, over the course of two years. In 10% of the samples, four compounds, including triaminodil, minoxidil, finasteride, methyltestosterone, and testosterone–propionate were detected. The concentrations were in the range of 0.5–16.4mg/g. This technique provides a reliable platform for technical analysis for continuous monitoring of adulterated products to protect public health.