HPTLC determination of ursolic acid in<i>Alstonia scholaris</i>R. Br.

Abstract

Among the complex mixture of biologically active compounds in the leaves of Alstonia scholaris , a plant used in traditional medicine, ursolic acid, a constituent of the leaves, has been used as an analytical marker indicative of the quality of the plant. A sensitive thin-layer chromatographic method has been developed for determination of ursolic acid in the leaves of Alstonia scholaris . Chromatographic separation was performed on silica gel HPTLC plates with toluene-ethyl acetate-triethylamine-methanol, 7 + 2 + 1 + 1 ( v/v ), as mobile phase. The plates were scanned densitometrically at λ = 366 nm. The method was validated for precision, repeatability, and accuracy. Intra-day and inter-day RSD were 0.43% and 1.54%, respectively. Instrumental precision and repeatability of the method were found to be 0.54 and 1.20 (% CV), respectively. The accuracy was checked by studying recovery at three levels; average recovery was 100.26%. The method proposed for quantitative monitoring of ursolic acid in Alstonia scholaris is rapid, simple, and accurate and can be used for routine quality testing.