Determination of the triterpenoid, betulinic acid, in Doliocarpus schottianus by HPLC

The isolation, detection and quantification of betulinic acid in Doliocarpus schottianus are described. The isolation from the plant extract was made by column chromatography and centrifugal TLC, and betulinic acid was characterized by spectrometric methods. The detection and quantification were made by HPLC using a C18 column eluted with acetonitrile:water and detected at 210 nm. The results showed that the metabolite accumulates in the bark of the plant, but very small concentrations were also found in the leaves and wood. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.