HPTLC Determination of Ursolic Acid in Alstonia scholaris R. Br.

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 thinlayer 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.