Simultaneous determination and quantification of three pentacyclic triterpenoids—betulinic acid, oleanolic acid, and ursolic acid—in cell cultures of Lantana camara L.

A simple procedure has been described for simultaneous determination and improved yield of three pentacyclic triterpenoids—betulinic, oleanolic, and ursolic acids—from callus cultures of Lantana camara. Cell biomass was obtained from leaf disk explants cultured on Murashige and Skoog (Physiol Plant 15:473–497, 1962) medium supplemented with 5 μM 6-benzylaminopurine, 1 μM 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, and 1 μM α-naphthaleneacetic acid. Optimum separation of the three compounds was achieved by reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography on a C18 column with 80:20 (v/v) acetonitrile/water as mobile phase. With this route, a yield of 3.1% betulinic acid, 1.88% oleanolic acid, and 4.12% ursolic acid per gram dry weight was obtained from cultures. Leaves from the parent plant, used as control, showed total absence of betulinic acid, and the quantities of oleanolic and ursolic acids present in them were only marginally higher than that found in in vitro-raised cultures. Presence of the three compounds was further confirmed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.