Development of a detector tube for screening tadalafil and its analogues in adulterated sexual enhancement products. Issue 3 (3rd January 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ichikawa‐Kaji, Yoko; Ishizawa, Fujio; Nishiyama, Rei; Tachikawa, Hajime; Uemura, Nozomi; Moriuchi, Yuka; Hsiao, Yi‐Yang; Moriyasu, Takako; Suzuki, Toshinari; Takahashi, Yoichiro; Inomata, Akiko
• Is Part Of: Drug testing and analysis. Volume 15:Issue 3(2023)
• Page Start: 345
• Page End: 360
• Publication Date: 2023-01-03
• Subjects: adulteration -- detector tube -- dietary supplements -- PDE5 inhibitor -- Tadalafil; Drugs -- Analysis -- Periodicals; Drug testing -- Periodicals; Chemistry, Forensic -- Periodicals; 615.1901
• DOI: 10.1002/dta.3424
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1942-7603

Abstract

Abstract: Sexual enhancement products adulterated with phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors (PDE‐5i) pose a serious public health concern. Tadalafil and its analogues (Tds) are PDE‐5i frequently detected as adulterants. In this study, a Td detector tube for the rapid detection of Tds was developed based on the color change reaction between sulfuric acid and Tds. The specificity of this test method was evaluated using 13 Tds, all of which elicited positive results. Additionally, 30 commonly found adulterants in dietary supplements, 11 active pharmaceutical ingredients of psychotropic drugs and 18 food ingredients were tested and obtained no false‐positive results, except levomepromazine. The test tube accurately detected the presence or absence of Tds in 54 commercially available products. The visual detection limit was 2–50 and 5–20 μg/ml for Tds and tadalafil‐spiked samples with matrix, respectively. The applicability of the developed detector tube to a semiquantitative test using digital image analyses were investigated using red, green, and blue color values. The results of the recovery test suggested that the tube test was affected by the dark‐colored matrix. The results of semiquantitative analyses of tadalafil for five marketed products were consistent with the liquid chromatographic quantification results, except for the blue value. The detector tube developed in this study can facilitate with the rapid screening of Tds in adulterated sexual enhancement products. Abstract : In this study, a simple detector tube has been developed to detect tadalafil and its analogues (Tds) in adulterated sexual enhancement products. The tube color changes to violet upon detecting Tds. The test tube accurately detected the presence or absence of Tds in 54 marketed products. The developed tube can be used in the preliminary screening of Tds.