title: Eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome case-associated contaminants in commercially available 5-hydroxytryptophan.
abstract: Recently, 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan (5-OHTrp) has been promoted as an alternative to banned L-tryptophan as a dietary supplement. It has been claimed to help alleviate obesity, insomnia, depression, and headaches. However, eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome (EMS)-like symptoms have also been associated with ingestion or exposure to 5-OHTrp. HPLC-UV analysis of EMS-implicated 5-OHTrp revealed the presence of peak X, described as case-implicated. We show that peak X is actually a family of contaminants with the same molecular weight (234 Da) and similar HPLC retention times. We also demonstrate that all eight samples of commercially available 5-OHTrp analyzed by HPLC-MS contained three or more contaminants of the peak X family. The significance of these findings is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Klarskov
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Benson
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Gleich
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Naylor
mesh_terms: D006916:5-Hydroxytryptophan / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000592:standards; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000009:adverse effects; D004340:Drug Contamination; D016603:Eosinophilia-Myalgia Syndrome / Q000139:chemically induced*; D006801:Humans; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D006916:5-Hydroxytryptophan