Abstract
Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is one of the most important food crops worldwide and its leaves provide a dietary source of nutrients and various bioactive compounds. These constituents of sweet potato leaves (SPL) vary among varieties and play important roles in treating and preventing various diseases. Recently, more attentions in health-promoting benefits have led to several in vitro and in vivo investigations, as well as the identification and quantification of bioactive compounds in SPL. Among them, many new compounds have been reported as the first identified compounds from SPL with their dominant bioactivities. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the bioactive compositions of SPL and their health benefits. Since SPL serve as a potential source of micronutrients and functional compounds, they can be further developed as a sustainable crop for food and medicinal industries.
Highlights
Sweet potato leaves (SPL) are considered to be a leafy vegetable consumed by humans, which is currently widely used for food due to its high yield, drought tolerance, and the ability to grow in different climates and farming systems [3,4]
Fu et al [21] investigated the influence of ten different solvents on the recovery of polyphenols from SPL, and showed that SPL extract produced by using 50% acetone resulted in the highest total phenolic compounds (TPC) (43.8 mg chlorogenic acid equivalent (CAE)/g DW) and the strongest antioxidant activities, whereas SPL extract using 70% ethanol contained the highest total flavonoid (3.4 mg quercetin equivalents (QE)/g DW) and total anthocyanin content (36.5 mgcyanidin-3glucoside equivalents (C3GE)/100 g DW)
The results demonstrate that anthocyanins of purple SPL (100–400 μg/mL) reduced the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in TC-HL7702 cells [20], and inhibited the proliferation of HSC-T6 cells by inhibiting α-smooth muscle actin (SMA) expression, extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2), and the serine-threonine kinase Akt activation, and blocking platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR)-β signaling [48]
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam.) is considered to be a major food crop worldwide, and it is widely produced and consumed in East Asia, Oceania, and Sub-Saharan. Sweet potato leaves (SPL) are considered to be a leafy vegetable consumed by humans, which is currently widely used for food due to its high yield, drought tolerance, and the ability to grow in different climates and farming systems [3,4]. Leaves of sweet potato hold niacin (856−1498 μg/100 g), vitamins B6 (120−329 μg/100 g), B2 (248−254 μg/100 g), B1 (53−128 μg/100 g), C (62.7−81 mg/100 g), E (1.39−2.84 mg/100 g), pantothenic acid (320−660 μg/100 g), β-carotene (273−400 μg/100 g), and biotin (3−8 μg/100 g), having higher contents of vitamins B2, C, E, biotin, and β-carotene than the plant’s stems and stalks [2]
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