Discovery and identification of a new illegal additive: propoxyphenyl hydroxyvardenafil

A new vardenafil analogue has been discovered in a sexual enhancement health beverage through the application of ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC/Q-TOF MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). This analogue was then purified via preparative HPLC (Prep-HPLC), and its chemical structure was determined using NMR spectroscopy. Spectral data indicated that the vardenafil analogue possesses an n-propyloxy group in place of the ethoxy group on the aromatic ring, and a hydroxyethyl group in substitution for the ethyl group on the piperazine ring. The compound, termed "propoxyphenyl hydroxyvardenafil", has not been reported in China.