Phytochemical diversity and therapeutic potential of Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.

Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.commonly known as sweet potato is an agronomically significant tuber crop distinguished by remarkable phytochemical diversity and expanding therapeutic importance.The species demonstrates substantial genotypic and tissue-specific variability in bioactive constituents, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, carotenoids and structurally complex polysaccharides.Purplefleshed cultivars are particularly enriched in acylated anthocyanins exhibiting potent antioxidant a nd anti-inflammatory activities, whereas orange-fleshed genotypes serve as major dietary sources of provitamin A carotenoids that contribute to alleviating vitamin A deficiency.Comparative metabolomic investigations further indicate that sweet potato leaves frequently contain higher concentrations of total polyphenols than storage roots, underscoring the nutraceutical potential of aerial biomass.Pharmacological and experimental evidence suggests that sweet potato phytochemicals exert multifaceted biological effects, including attenuation of oxidative stress, modulation of inflammatory mediators such as NF-B, enhancement of insulin sensitivity and inhibition of tumor cell proliferation.Moreover, polysaccharide fractions have demonstrated immunomodulatory and hypoglycemic activities in both in vitro and in vivo systems.Advances in chromatographic and spectrometric characterization have strengthened structural elucidation and quantification of anthocyanins and phenolics, thereby improving prospects for functional food standardization and therapeutic translation.Collectively, contemporary evidence positions sweet potato as a functional crop of substantial biomedical relevance, warranting cultivar-specific bioavailability studies and rigorously designed clinical validation.