sildenafil-citrate and tetrahydropalmatine

Nine herbal dietary supplements intended to be beverages for enhancing sexual performance were analyzed before their possible launch on the market. Four of them contained a sildenafil analog reported for the first time as an adulterant. After isolation and characterization using NMR, MS, IR and UV, this analog was named propoxyphenyl-thiohydroxyhomosildenafil as the ethoxy chain on the phenyl ring of the already known analog thiohydroxyhomosildenafil was replaced by a propoxy moiety. One formulation was tainted with thiosildenafil, another unapproved PDE-5 inhibitor. Sildenafil along with the natural alkaloid tetrahydropalmatine that has no documented effect for enhancing erectile dysfunction were identified in two formulations. Another formulation was adulterated with phentolamine, a drug that is not approved for boosting male sexual performance when taken orally. The last formulation containing osthole, a bioactive natural coumarine improving sexual dysfunction, is most probably truly natural.

Topics: Aphrodisiacs; Berberine Alkaloids; Dietary Supplements; Drug Contamination; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Male; Molecular Structure; Penile Erection; Phentolamine; Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors; Piperazines; Plant Preparations; Purines; Sexual Behavior; Sildenafil Citrate; Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Sulfhydryl Compounds; Sulfones; Tandem Mass Spectrometry