A Rapid Densitometric Method for Quantification of Wedelolactone in Herbal Formulations using HPTLC

Wedelolactone possesses a wide range of biological activities and is used for the treatment of hepatitis, cirrhosis. A simple HPTLC method has been developed for the quantification of wedelolactone. The samples were dissolved in methanol and linear ascending development was carried out in twin trough glass chamber saturated with mobile phase consisting of toluene: ethyl acetate: acetone: formic acid (6:2:1:1v/v/v/v). Spectrodensitometric scanning was performed by TLC scanner III (CAMAG) in absorbance mode at the wavelength of 351nm.The system was found to give compact spots for wedelolactone (Rf value of 0.39 ± 0.03). The linear regression analysis data for the calibration plots showed good linear relationship with r2 = 0.9963 in the concentration range 400-800 ng/spot with respect to peak area. According to the ICH guidelines the method was validated for accuracy, precision, recovery, and robustness. The wedelolactone content quantified from herbal formulations was found well within limits. Statistical analysis of the data showed that the method is reproducible and selective for the estimation of wedelolactone.