Identifcation and Quantifcation by HPLC- DAD of Furosemide as a Co-adulterant in Products of Natural Origin Flávia Bonfm Lima 1 , Beatriz da Costa Aguiar Alves 1 , David Feder 1 , Marina Cristina Peres 1 , Glaucia Luciano da Veiga 1 , Edimar Cristiano Pereira 2 and Fernando Luiz Afonso Fonseca 1,2* 1 Laboratório de Análises Clínicas, Centro Universitário Saúde ABC/ Faculdade de Medicina do ABC, Av, Lauro Gomes, 2000, 09060-870, Santo André, SP, Brazil 2 Departamento de Ciências Farmacêuticas da Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Prof. Artur Riedel, 275, 09972-270, Diadema, SP, Brazil; profferfonseca@gmail.com *Author for correspondence JOURNAL OF NATURAL REMEDIES Abstract Te low cost added to easy access and expectation of low or no side efects make these products increasingly attractive. When a product of natural origin contains synthetic substances that are not declared in its formulation, the synthetic substance is characterized as adulteration. In order to identify and quantify adulterants in natural products, analytical methods have been developed and used as fundamental tools in the control of these products. Tus, two products of natural origin indicated for treatment of rheumatic and infammatory diseases were analyzed to verify the presence of the co-adulterant furosemide. Co-adulterant presence in the products was tested using an Agilent® brand 1100 HPLC system with a quaternary pump, an automatic injector and a DAD detector, with a mobile phase composed of methanol/formic acid 0.2% 60/40 (v/v). HPLC-DAD indicates the presence of the undeclared furosemide compound in the original formulation of both analyzed samples. In sample A, 24 mg of furosemide per gram was found, while in sample B, 47mg per gram of product was obtained. Te consumption of adulterated products may lead to risks such as drug interaction and intoxication, since active ingredients of synthetic origin are added without taking in consideration adjustments and quality of the raw material. DOI: 10.18311/jnr/2020/24396 1. Introduction Te use of medicinal plants as a form of healing and health maintenance in daily and cultural practices is part of ancient traditions around the world 1, 2 . In the last decades, herbal products of medicinal interest, so- called “natural products”, have gained prominence in this trade category.In 2002, approximately two thirds of the planet’s population were using natural products 3 . Keywords: Chromatography, Co-Adulterant, Furosemide, HPLC, Natural Products Article Received on: 01.11.2019 Accepted on: 01.07.2020 RESEARCH ARTICLE In 2007, a study undertaken in the United States showed that 4 out of every 10 adults (40%) took some type of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) in the 12 months prior to the survey.Among them, 37.4% used DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), fsh oil or omega 3, glycosamine (19.9%), Echinacea (19.8%), linseed oil (15.9%) and Ginseng (14.1%) in the 30 days prior to the research 4 . Tese products can be easily obtained, from the informal market such Revised on: 27.05.2020