Ecdysteroid-containing food supplements from Cyanotis arachnoidea on the European market: evidence for spinach product counterfeiting.

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 manufactur

SUBMITTER: Hunyadi A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5144001 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature