Chiral gas chromatographic determination of ephedrine-type alkaloids in dietary supplements containing Ma Huang

Ma Huang is a traditional Chinese medicine derived from the aerial parts of several Ephedra species (Ephedraceae). These plants produce (-)-ephedrine, (+)-pseudosphedrine, (-)-norephedrine, (+)- norpseudoephedrine, (-)-N-methylephedrine, and (+)-N-methylpseudoephedrine. Racemic and (- ephedrine, (+)...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Journal of AOAC International Vol. 80; no. 2; pp. 303 - 315
Main Authors:	Betz, J.M. (US Food and Drug Administration, Washington, DC.), Gay, M.L, Mossoba, M.M, Adams, S, Portz, B.S
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Gaithersburg, MD AOAC International 01-03-1997
Subjects:	ADULTERACION ADULTERATION ALCALOIDE ALCALOIDES Alkaloids - analysis ANALISIS CUANTITATIVO ANALYSE QUANTITATIVE Appetite Depressants - analysis Biological and medical sciences CHROMATOGRAPHIE EN PHASE GAZEUSE COMPOSICION QUIMICA COMPOSITION CHIMIQUE CROMATOGRAFIA DE GASES Drugs, Chinese Herbal - analysis EPHEDRA Ephedrine - analogs & derivatives Ephedrine - analysis Food industries Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry General pharmacology Medical sciences MEDICAMENT TRADITIONNEL MEDICAMENTOS TRADICIONALES Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food Pharmacology. Drug treatments Research and development. New food products, dietetic foods and beverages Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared TECHNIQUE ANALYTIQUE TECNICAS ANALITICAS Asia China Gnetales Pharmacognosy Chiral stationary phase Extract Medicinal plant Infrared spectrometry Gas chromatography Alkaloid Folk medicine Analog Enantiomer Gymnospermae Quality control Analytical method Plant origin Spermatophyta Adulteration Mass spectrometry Diastereomer Quantitative analysis Food supplement
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Summary:	Ma Huang is a traditional Chinese medicine derived from the aerial parts of several Ephedra species (Ephedraceae). These plants produce (-)-ephedrine, (+)-pseudosphedrine, (-)-norephedrine, (+)- norpseudoephedrine, (-)-N-methylephedrine, and (+)-N-methylpseudoephedrine. Racemic and (- ephedrine, (+)-pseudosphedrine, and (+/-)-norephedrine (phenylpropanolamine) are used clinically in the United States and are largely synthetic in origin. Current interest in Ma Huang is spurred by reports describing a "thermogenic" (calorie burning) effect provided by mixtures of ephedrine, caffeine, and aspirin. Products providing the key thermogenic compounds from natural sources are available as dietary supplements in retail outlets. Reports of potentially unsafe levels of the alkaloids, as well as possible fortification of Ma Huang-combining products with synthetic Ephedra alkaloids, prompted the development of a chiral gas chromatographic (GC) method that allows determination of alkaloid patterns and identification of isomerically impure synthetic alkaloids. Nine products were analyzed on a gamma-cyclodextrin capillary GC column. Identity of the alkaloids was verified by GC/mass spectrometry (MS) and GC/matrix isolation/Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. No synthetic isomers were found in the dietary supplements analyzed. Three products contained only one of the ephedrine-type alkaloids. One product that listed Ma Huang as an ingredient contained no detectable ephedrine-type alkaloid. In products containing measurable quantities of these compounds, total alkaloid levels ranged from 0.3 to 56 mg/g
Bibliography:	9714556 T10 Q60 ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	1060-3271 1944-7922
DOI:	10.1093/jaoac/80.2.303