Abstract
Phytoecdysteroids like 20-hydroxyecdysone (“ecdysterone”) can exert a mild, non-hormonal anabolic/adaptogenic activity in mammals, and as such, are frequently used in food supplements. Spinach is well-known for its relatively low ecdysteroid content. Cyanotis arachnoidea, a plant native in China, is among the richest sources of phytoecdysteroids, and extracts of this plant are marketed in tons per year amounts via the internet at highly competitive prices. Here we report the investigation of a series of food supplements produced in Germany and claimed to contain spinach extracts. Twelve ecdysteroids including two new compounds were isolated and utilized as marker compounds. A comparative analysis of the products with Cyanotis and spinach extracts provides evidence that they were manufactured from Cyanotis extracts instead of spinach as stated. Based on the chromatographic fingerprints, 20-hydroxyecdysone 2- and 3-acetate are suggested as diagnostic markers for related quality control. This case appears to represent an unusual type of dietary supplement counterfeiting: undeclared extracts from alternative plants would supposedly ‘guarantee’ product efficacy.
Highlights
One could certainly argue that FS1 might still be originated from spinach, and the differences we observe come from a different extraction procedure or different processing techniques, e.g. solid-phase extraction (SPE) or column chromatography that could have been applied in order to enrich its originally low ecdysteroid content
Our results provide evidence that the investigated food supplements contain Cyanotis extract instead of spinach as claimed
This case appears to represent an unusual type of dietary supplement counterfeiting: the alleged pharmacological activities are supposedly enhanced by the addition of extracts from undeclared plants that contain
Summary
A simple internet search reveals dozens of companies offering several tons per year (some even claiming to be able to supply over a ton per week) which is available for internet-based purchase with a worldwide delivery. The scale of this market can well be demonstrated by the fact that some of these companies have a minimum order limit of 200 kg of “20E” or rather C. arachnoidea extract, and, depending on the purity, the price can be as low as around 10–20 USD per kg. Our aim was to study the ecdysteroid composition of some of these products and to investigate the possibility of adulteration
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