Identification of biologically active triterpenes and sterols present in hexane extracts from Miconia species using high-resolution gas chromatography.

In this work we describe the identification of the biologically active triterpenes and sterols present in the hexane extracts of six species of Miconia using gas chromatography. The main compounds present in these extracts are beta-amyrin, alpha-amyrin, and beta-sitosterol. The technique employed herein is shown to be a valuable and rapid tool for determining biologically active triterpenes and sterols present in non-polar extracts. Copyright 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.