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The prevalence of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) markedly increases with age. Phytotherapeutic approaches have been developed over time owing to the adverse side effects of conventional medications such as 5-reductase inhibitors and α1-adrenergic receptor antagonists. Therefore, dietary supplements (DS) containing active compounds that benefit BPH are widely available. Phytosterols (PSs) are well recognized for their role in maintaining blood cholesterol levels; however, their potential in BPH treatment remains unexplored. This review aims to provide a general overview of the available data regarding the clinical evidence and a good understanding of the detailed pharmacological roles of PSs-induced activities at a molecular level in BPH. Furthermore, we will explore the authenticity of PSs content in DS used by patients with BPH compared to the current legislation and appropriate analytical methods for tracking DS containing PSs. The results showed that PSs might be a useful pharmacological treatment option for men with mild to moderate BPH, but the lack of standardized extracts linked with the regulation of DS containing PSs and experimental evidence to elucidate the mechanisms of action limit the use of PSs in BPH. Moreover, the results suggest multiple research directions in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the most studied alkaloids found in Cannabis species. Also, its occurrence in Cannabis plants is higher in most of cases compared with the addictive compound named tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This study aimed to evaluate CBD concentrations and stability in different commercial products and reconstituted oil. An UHPLC method previously published was applied. Three CBD oils and two powders marketed online together with a reconstituted oil were analyzed. The oils presented concentrations lower than stated on the label. The content of reconstituted CBD oils prepared similarly to the commercial oils decrease linearly with small differences based on the storage conditions. Thus, the CBD oil kept at temperatures of 5±0.3°C tends to decompose slightly slower compared with the oil kept at room temperature. A stabilizer may be needed to slow the decomposition process. Future studies for reconstituted formulation may be needed to establish if the type of oil used is influencing the decomposition process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Vitamins are the most commonly used active ingredients in dietary supplements (DS), and the quality of DS is subject to highly permissive legislation. Aims. The purpose of this study was to underline the risks associated with sub- and overdosing of water-soluble vitamins in the case of performance and amateur athletes who use vitamins as dietary supplements without professional counseling and to test the quality of vitamins as DSs or drugs marketed in pharmacies through a new simple and rapid HPLC method. Methods. Vitamins were analyzed by HPLC using a Phenomenex Luna C18 column, 3 μm, 150 x 4.6 mm, a mobile phase with 100 mM ammonium acetate (pH = 5.8) - acetonitrile - methanol in a concentration gradient from 88:5:7 to 68:25:7 in 10 minutes with 1 ml/min flow rate. Sample processing: the vitamins from the tablets were extracted in 15 mM phosphoric acid and the injectable solutions diluted with 15 mM phosphoric acid prior to chromatographic analysis. Results. The risk of overdosing water-soluble vitamins is highly questionable, but the under-dose intake is related to their use in the case of athletes, these vitamins being involved in energy metabolism. Hence the importance of the quality of commercial products with these vitamins. The proposed HPLC method allows the separation of ascorbic acid, folic acid, thiamine, pyridoxine, nicotinamide, cyanocobalamin and riboflavin. The linearity of the analytical method was tested and applied for five vitamin assays in tablets and injectable solutions purchased from the pharmacy, which were quantitatively analyzed, and the results were compared with those declared by the manufacturer. Conclusions. Permissive legislation on DS implicates acquiring them from "safe" sources such as community pharmacies, especially for amateur athletes who do not benefit from specialized nutritional counseling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The popularity of dietary supplements and drugs for erectile dysfunction on the internet, permissive legal framework in this domain and purchasing these drugs from pharmacy on prescription only, explain why they are often subject to counterfeit. A HPLC-UV method for the identification and quantification of sildenafil, tadalafil and vardenafil in dietary supplements and drugs is described. Separation of these substances was performed on a Phenomenex C8 5μm 150x4.6 mm column, using as mobile phase a mixture of phase A = 0.1% formic acid in water and phase B = 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile, in a concentration gradient, phase A concentration decreasing from 80 to 20% in 15 minutes. The detection was set at 262 nm. The supplements purchased from pharmacies did not contain phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors, but in two supplements purchased on the internet, sildenafil was quantified (13.87 ± 1.79 mg/capsule and 18.34 ± 2.16 mg/capsule). The method was used for the determination of sildenafil in Viagra® 100 mg tablets purchased online, their content was higher by 35.80% from the declared composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The popularity of dietary supplements and drugs for erectile dysfunction on the internet, permissive legal framework in this domain and purchasing these drugs from pharmacy on prescription only, explain why they are often subject to counterfeit. A HPLC-UV method for the identification and quantification of sildenafil, tadalafil and vardenafil in dietary supplements and drugs is described. Separation of these substances was performed on a Phenomenex C8 5μm 150x4.6 mm column, using as mobile phase a mixture of phase A = 0.1% formic acid in water and phase B = 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile, in a concentration gradient, phase A concentration decreasing from 80 to 20% in 15 minutes. The detection was set at 262 nm. The supplements purchased from pharmacies did not contain phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors, but in two supplements purchased on the internet, sildenafil was quantified (13.87 ± 1.79 mg/capsule and 18.34 ± 2.16 mg/capsule). The method was used for the determination of sildenafil in Viagra® 100 mg tablets purchased online, their content was higher by 35.80% from the declared composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]