Determining the Effective Substance of Prevalent Super Slim Weight Loss Capsule

Introduction: Given the growing prevalence of obesity in industrial societies including Iran, there is a growing demand for herbal weight loss drugs. Taking into account the heavy advertisements to sell the capsule as an herbal medicine, the present study was conducted in 2012 to determine the effective substance of prevalent super slim weight loss capsule. Methodology: Twenty-six super slim capsules were purchased from Tehran-based pharmacies and herbal medicine shops in 2012. Afterwards, 0.5 gram of the samples was solved in 2.5ml methanol. The samples were filtered and brought up to the volume by adding 5ml of ethanol and placed in an ultrasound device for 30min. 50μl zolpidem was then added as an internal standard. From each sample, 30μl was injected into high performance liquid chromatograph at mobile phases including water, methanol, and triethylamine at volumetric ratios of (0.5+79.5+20v/v/v, pH=5.65) and the obtained peaks were analyzed after 30mins. Findings: The results showed that prevalent super slim weight loss capsules found in Iran market were not herbal based and the effective substances were synthetic compounds known as sibutramine and mirtazapine. The results of quantitative analysis of the samples showed that pharmaceutical concentration of sibutramine in the capsules ranged from 33.51μg/ml to 286.78μg/ml. In addition, pharmaceutical concentration of sibutramine in the capsules ranged from 33.51μg/ml to 286.78μg/ml – pharmaceutical variables (placebo). Conclusion: Despite the claims and advertisements by the producers, the drug is not herbal based and contains illicit compounds. Therefore, it is essential to improve transparency in the assessments of the damages caused by weight loss drugs.