ABSTRACT

Stability of the marker compound is important so as to ensure claimed bioactivity and it also helps to predict the shelf life of the drug/formulation with respect to the active constituents. Eclipta alba (Asteraceae) is an important ingredient in various polyherbal/ayurvedic formulations. Wedelolactone is the important bioactive marker responsible for the hepatoprotective, analgesic, antibacterial, and antidiabetic activity of E. alba. In the present study, accelerated stability studies have been carried out for wedelolactone content in a polyherbal formulation containing E. alba as one of the major ingredients. The formulation was kept in a thermostability chamber at 40 °C temperature and 75 % relative humidity for six months as per ICH guidelines. The samples were periodically taken out and analyzed for wedelolactone content by high-performance liquid chromatography method. The change in the wedelolactone content was found to be less than 5 % w/w, indicating the stable nature of wedelolactone.