Abstract: | ABSTRACT Pongamol and karanjin, naturally present in karanja (Pongamia glabra) oil possess potential UV A and UV B sunscreen activities, respectively. A reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method has been developed for direct estimation of these constituents of karanja oil. This method of analysis requires no sample preparation of active ingredients. The analysis uses methanol, water and acetic acid in the ratio of 85: 13.5: 1.5 as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.5 ml/ min on a Kromasil 100 C18 column, ex Tracer (250mm X46mm, particle size 5 microns) and dual wavelength detection at 350 and 300 nm. 2-ethylhexyl-p-methoxy cinnamate (Parsol MCX) was used as the internal standard. The identical UV spectrum of the chromatographic region (upslope, apex and downslope) confirmed that the analysis was free from substrate interference. The detection limits for pongamol and karanjin were found to be 0.1 μg/ml. |