Abstract
Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is a global food crop, now being recognized as a functional food due to several of its nutraceutical components. Several experimental studies have reported that sweet potato can generally be beneficial in the prevention or treatment of chronic diseases through its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anticancer/antitumour, antimicrobial and antiulcer activities. Studies on the haematinic effect of potato leaves and their ability to enhance some haemotological parameters are reviewed in this paper. Furthermore, the review provides an overview of the significance and influence of cultivar on the composition and pharmacological activities of sweet potato. Sweet potato contains a lot of beneficial phytochemicals, some of which are peculiar to certain varieties. There is, therefore, a need for the continuous evaluation and selection of cultivars with the appropriate phytochemical composition and bioactivities to be able to fully explore the medicinal value of sweet potato. Studies aimed at the isolation, characterization and toxicological evaluation of its bioactive compounds may help to strengthen and confirm the possible role of sweet potato as a health promoting food and an alternative remedy for chronic diseases. This review highlights the pharmacological reports on different forms of sweet potato and their potential medicinal values.Keywords: Sweet potato, Cultivar influence, Chronic diseases, Ipomoea batatas, Diabetes, Anticancer, Haematological effect
Highlights
Sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam, is a perennial crop which belongs to the morning glory family or Convolvulaceae [1]
A stronger antioxidant activity was reported in the peels of white and purple varieties when compared to the flesh samples [39], showing that the skin of sweet potato root tubers are rich source of anti-oxidative phytochemicals
This review highlights the important biological activities of sweet potato which are highly influenced by cultivar type
Summary
Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam, is a perennial crop which belongs to the morning glory family or Convolvulaceae [1]. Many studies have reported different medicinal potentials of sweet potato These properties have been attributed to either a single or combined effect of the phytochemicals present in the plant. Fidrianny et al [36] concluded from their study that n-hexane, ethylacetate and ethanol extracts of leaves from different cultivars of sweet potato showed free radicals scavenging activity. A stronger antioxidant activity was reported in the peels of white and purple varieties when compared to the flesh samples [39], showing that the skin of sweet potato root tubers are rich source of anti-oxidative phytochemicals. Sweet potato leaf extract was able to suppress low density lipoprotein oxidation in vitro and in human subjects, this suppression was attributed to the antioxidant activity of phytochemicals present in the leaves [35]. Even though some studies have made use of specific bio-actives such as anthocyanin from sweet potato, most
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