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Abstract
Ursolic acid is a pentacyclic triterpenoid that has anti-cancer activities. Oral administration of ursolic acid is difficult because of its low bioavailability. Therefore, a prodrug of ursolic acid has been synthesized through esterification to increase its bioavailability. Ursolic acid and its prodrug were studied to sensitize bladder cancer cells that are made resistant to conventional chemotherapy drugs like gemcitabine and cisplatin. In this study, an LC-MS method was developed to accurately quantify ursolic acid and its prodrug in rat plasma as part of a pharmacokinetic study.