Background Viscum articulatum Burm. (Family: Loranthaceae) is commonly known as mistletoe. In ayurveda, the plant parts are used in “Kapha”, “Vata”, diseases of the blood, ulcer, and epilepsy. The plant parts are also used in urinary tract infection and wound infection. The plant contains five triterpenoids such as α-amyrin, lupeol, betulin, betulinic acid and oleanolic acid, exhibiting several pharmacological activities including antimicrobial, anti-HIV, antitumor, antiviral activity. Objective To ensure the content of uniformity of oleanolic acid, a RP-HPLC method has been developed for estimation of oleanolic acid in V. articulatum aerial part. Material and methods The RP-HPLC method was carried out in reverse phase C 18 column, using methanol and water as mobile phase in the ratio of 95:5 (v/v), at the flow rate of 1 mL/min. The pH of aqueous phase was adjusted 3.2 with 1% (v/v) glacial acetic acid. The λ max was set at 210 nm. Results The retention time of oleanolic acid was found at 21.5 ± 0.05 min. The linearity of the response was found to be 10–800 μg/mL. The coefficient of determinants of oleanolic acid was found to be (r 2 ) 0.995 and equation Y = 19462X + 16,172. The LOD and LOQ were found to be for oleanolic acid (1.96% w/w) 0.197 ± 0.63 and 0.623 ± 0.87 μg/mL, respectively. The developed method was accurate, specific, precise and reproducible. Conclusion This RP-HPLC may be useful for quantitative estimation of the chemical constituents present in the plant extract as well as the quality assessment of the herbal product.

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Capsaicin is a pungent capsacinoid which differs in capsicum fruit within the species and the cultivars due to its topographical diversity. Here, a comparative estimation of capsaicin in seven varieties of capsicum has been performed by RP-HPLC method. The method was carried out in reverse phase C 18 column using acetonitrile and water (1% acetic acid) as mobile phase (65:35 v/v), at the flow rate of 1ml/min. The λmax was detected at 230 nm. The calibration curves were linear in the concentration range of 1-80 µg/ml. The comparative study revealed that the capsaicin content was highest (3.12% w/w) in Capsicum annuum Cayenne whereas Capsicum cardenasii contains the lowest (0.85% w/w). The % RSD of precision and recovery was found to be < 2%, which confirms high repeatability of the method. This method can be commercialized at industrial level for ensuring the highest quality of capsicum used as raw material.