[Determination of five boswellic acids in Boswellia serrata].

To develop an HPLC method for determinating the contents of five boswellic acids in Boswellia serrata. Analysis was performed on a zorbax SB C18 column eluted with acetonitrile-0.1% phosphoric acid in water as mobile phases in gradient elution and the detection wavelengths were 210 nm and 250 nm. The five ingredients were separated well. The content ranges of alpha-boswellic acid, beta-boswellic acid, 3-acetyl-beta-boswellic acid, 11-keto-beta-boswellic acid and 11-keto-beta-acetyl- boswellic acid were 8.68-16.1, 53.5-246.9, 38.4-192.9, 4.48-5.81, 32.7-44.2 mg x g(-1), respectively. The contents of five individual boswellic acids were different in 12 batches of B. serrata samples.