HPLC for determining contents of oleanolic acid and ursolic acid in Sambucus canadensis Aurea

Objective To establish a HPLC method for simultaneously determining contents of oleanolic acid and ursolic acid in leaves and stems of Sambucus canadensis Aurea.Methods Ursolic acid and oleanolic acid were separated and analyzed on Thermo ODS-2HYPERSIL(250 mm×4.6 mm,5 μm) with methanol-0.4% orthophosphoric acid water(80%∶ 20%)as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.8 ml/min.UV detection was 210 nm and the column temperature was 25 ℃.Results An recovery rate was 98.50% with a RSD of 3.03% in the range of 12.17-243.36μg/ml(r=0.999 9)for oleanolic acid.An average recovery was 99.49% with a RSD of 1.37% in the range of 3.25-64.92 μg/ml(r=0.999 8)for ursolic acid.The contents of oleanolic acid in the stem and leaves were 1.485 mg/g and 0.636 mg/g,respectively.The ursolic acid in the stem and leaves were 0.348 mg/g and 0.437 mg/g.Conclusion This is a simple,convenient,accurate and reliable method,and can be used to determine the contents of oleanolic acid and ursolic acid in Sambucus canadensis Aurea.