Determination by GC-IT/MS of phytosterols in herbal medicinal products for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms and food products marketed in Europe.

A method for the determination of phytosterols in herbal medicinal products for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms and food products is described here. Using a convenient sample preparation protocol and sensitive gas chromatography ion trap mass spectrometry analysis, ten different sterols, among them five Δ(7)-phytosterols as typical constituents of pumpkin seed preparations, could be identified and quantified. This protocol was applied to the analysis of 31 marketed products, from which seven were raw materials.