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Metals Content in Herbal Supplements

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Abstract

Obesity has become an international epidemic. To evaluate the level of metals in extracts of plants prescribed as weight loss supplements, different brands containing Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze, Citrus aurantium L., Cordia ecalyculata Vell, Ilex paraguariensis A. St.—Hil, Cissus quadrangularis L., Senna alexandrina Mill were purchased in local market, hot acid digested, and analyzed while metal content by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry, ICP-OES. Quality assurance and quality control tests were carried out in order to monitor and control the reliability of the analytical method. For each metal evaluated, a calibration curve was prepared with certified reference material. The recovery test was performed for each batch of samples. Analyses were performed in triplicate. Quantification of aluminum, barium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, lithium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, lead, vanadium, and zinc were determined. The metals most frequently detected were manganese (15.3–329,60 mg kg-1) aluminum (11.76–342.4 mg kg-1), and iron (11.14–73.01 mg kg-1) with higher levels in products containing C. sinensis China origin, I. paraguariensis Brazilian origin, C. quadrangularis, and C. aurantium China origin, respectively. To ensure safety consumption, an adequacy of the certification of Brazilian suppliers for herbal weight loss products is indispensable.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported with funds from University Vila Velha. FAPES and University Vila Velha are acknowledged for their scientific scholarship and the government agency linked to the Brazilian Ministry of Education in charge of promoting high standards for post-graduate courses in Brazil (CAPES/PNPD, 2014) is acknowledged for a postdoc fellowship. Tommasi Analítica is acknowledged for their assistance with the quantitative analysis of metals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pharmacy Postgraduate Program, Vila Velha Universitys, Av. Comissário José Dantas de Melo, n°21, 29102-920 - Boa Vista, Vila Velha, ES, Brazil

    Michelle Vieira Barrella, Priscylla Maria Martins Cardoso, Elisangela Flavia Pimentel, Rodrigo Scherer, Dominik Lenz & Denise C. Endringer

  2. Tommasi Analítica, Av. Luciano das Neves, 2016, Divino Espirito Santo, Vila Velha, ES, Brazil

    Otavio Arruda Heringer

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  1. Michelle Vieira Barrella
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Correspondence to Denise C. Endringer.

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Barrella, M.V., Heringer, O.A., Cardoso, P.M.M. et al. Metals Content in Herbal Supplements. Biol Trace Elem Res 175, 488–494 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-016-0776-2

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