Design of a Validated HPTLC Methodology for the Measurement of Linoleic and Oleanolic Acid in Eclipta Alba

The study aimed to develop a validated HPTLC method for measuring linoleic acid (LA) and oleanolic acid (OA) in Eclipta alba, a medicinal plant used in various traditional medicine systems. The method utilized Silica Gel 60 F254 as the stationary phase and a mobile phase of ethyl acetate, toluene, and formic acid in a 4:7:0.2 ratio. The calibration curves for LA and OA showed good linearity with correlation coefficients of 0.9966 and 0.9964, respectively, over specific concentration ranges. The method was evaluated for precision, accuracy, robustness, and selectivity, with LOD and LOQ for LA and OA determined as 108.47 and 182.33 ng/spot, and 258.30 and 327.54 ng/spot, respectively. The study concluded that the HPTLC method is effective, straightforward, accurate, and reproducible for quantifying LA and OA in E. alba.