Determination of Ursolic and Oleanolic Acid in Sambuci Fructus

Abstract

Elderberries are used in the preparation of pie, jelly, punch, wine, or liqueur, as well as in many herbal remedies and food supplements. Elderberry products may provide diaphoretic, diuretic, antioxidant, and immunostimulant activities that offer protection against cold and flu. Herein, we report for the first time the qualitative and quantitative evaluation of two isomeric triterpenoids isolated from Sambuci fructus. The analysis revealed that ursolic acid and oleanolic acid are present in Sambuci fructus. The average concentration of ursolic acid was ca. three times higher than the concentration of oleanolic acid. The triterpenoids were detected and quantified using chromatographic methods such as TLC and HPLC. Spectroscopic techniques, including HR-MS and 2D-NMR, allowed unequivocal structure determination.

Effect of Elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) Extract Supplementation in STZ-Induced Diabetic Rats Fed with a High-Fat Diet

“…This plant is considered from the days of Hippocrates as the “medicine chest” [ 7 ], and has been used in the formulation of diverse medicinal preparations to prevent and/or control different diseases [ 8 ]. Several bioactive compounds are reported on elderberries, namely phenolic compounds as anthocyanin derivatives, including cyanidin 3-glucoside, cyanidin 3-sambubioside, cyanidin 3-sambubioside-5-glucoside and cyanidin 3,5-diglucoside [ 9 , 10 , 11 ]; as well as triterpenic compounds such as ursolic and oleanolic acids, and sterols, as β-sitosterol were reported as elderberry bioactive components [ 12 , 13 ].…”

Oleanolic Acid, a Compound Present in Grapes and Olives, Protects against Genotoxicity in Human Mammary Epithelial Cells

“…The triterpenoids are natural compounds that are widely distributed in the skin and seeds of different edible fruits, such as olives and grapes from Vitis vinifera . Oleanolic acid (OA) and maslinic acid (MA) are two of the main triterpenes found in these fruits; in addition, they are also present in both virgin olive oils and wine, especially red wine [1,2,3,4,5,6,7].…”

Techniques for the analysis of pentacyclic triterpenoids in medicinal plants

“…TLC is a partitioning technique employed to separate compounds in plants. The determination and quantification of pentacyclic triterpenoids can be carried through TLC, which is low cost and provides multiple detections on the same silica gel TLC plate in a short analysis time . TLC methods combined with MS were already used for the initial screening of eight triterpenoids (lupeol, α‐amyrin, β‐amyrin, cycloartenol, cycloartenol acetate, lupeol acetate, lupenone, and friedelin) and phytosterols in the extracts of different vegetables, which were cheap and provided for multiple detections on a TLC plate in short analysis time .…”