Determination of higenamine in dietary supplements by UHPLC/MS/MS method

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Pharmacology
• Food Science

Background:

• Higenamine (norcoclaurine) is a plant-derived compound used for weight loss.
• It is listed as a banned substance by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) since January 1, 2017.
• Higenamine may be present in dietary supplements, sometimes without proper labeling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a sensitive and reliable UHPLC/MS/MS method for higenamine determination.
• To identify and quantify higenamine in various dietary supplement samples.

Main Methods:

• Utilized hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) for enhanced sensitivity.
• Employed UHPLC Acquity BEH HILIC analytical column with a specific mobile phase composition.
• Used electrospray ionization (ESI) in positive mode with multi-reaction monitoring (MRM) for detection.

Main Results:

• The developed UHPLC/MS/MS method was fully validated.
• The method successfully identified and quantified higenamine in dietary supplements.
• Higenamine was confirmed in some supplements, despite not being declared on the product labels.

Conclusions:

• The new UHPLC/MS/MS method provides accurate detection of higenamine in dietary supplements.
• The study highlights the potential for undeclared higenamine in the supplement market.
• Ensuring accurate labeling of supplements is crucial for athlete safety and regulatory compliance.