Development of LC-MS method for determination of ursolic acid: application to the analysis of ursolic acid in Staphylea holocarpa Hemsl.

Ursolic acid is a hydroxy pentacyclic triterpene, which has a chemoprotective activity in human. A reliable and reproducible liquid chromatography-mass spectrometric assay (LC-MS) was developed for the determination of ursolic acid in laboratory-made mixtures and in leaves and twigs extracts of Staphylea holocarpa Hemsl. The methanolic solution of the extracted ursolic acid was chromatographically analyzed using Shim Pack CLC-CN, C18 (150 x 6 mm, 5 mu) column and a mobile consisting of methanol-1% acetic acid solution (4:1) at a flow rate of 1.