First report on the phytochemical, nutritional and antioxidant potential of Jacquemontia pentanthos, a key plant species from Kerala, India

Jacquemontia pentanthos (Skyblue cluster vine) is an evergreen, twining vine that produces many small but showy flowers and is a member of the morning glory family. The Phytochemical profile and pharmacological aspects of the genus have been widely studied for Jacquemontia tamnifolia and Jacquemontia paniculata. However, Jacquemontia pentanthos, is the least studied species. This is the first study reporting the Phytochemical, proximate nutritional composition and in vitro antioxidant potential (via DPPH: 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, ABTS: 2,2-azino-bis and FRAP: Ferric reducing antioxidant power assays) of Jacquemontia pentanthos leaves. Proximate analysis quantified the primary metabolites in Jacquemontia pentanthos leaves, including protein (0.51 ± 0.03 mg BSA equivalent/g DW), dietary fibre (10.5 ± 0.3 mg/g dry weight), amino acids (19.85 ± 0.6 mg leucine equivalent/g DW), carbohydrates (0.38 ± 0.02 mg glucose equivalent/g DW), crude fat (0.14 ± 0.01% dry weight), moisture content (60.0 ± 1.2% fresh weight) and ash content (11.2 ± 0.5% dry weight). Secondary metabolite profiling of the extracts revealed high levels of flavonoids (87.049±0.011mg quercetin equivalents per gram mg QE/g), followed by alkaloids (2.717 ± 0.021mg atropine equivalents/g; mg AE/g), steroids (0.657 ± 0.031mg diosgenin equivalents/g; mg DE/g), phenolics (0.605 ± 0.008mg catechol equivalents/g; mg CE/g), terpenoids (0.459 ± 0.014 mg linalool equivalents/g; mg LE/g), saponins (0.663 ± 0.024 mg saponin equivalents/g; mg SE/g) and tannins (0.951 ± 0.017mg tannic acid equivalents/g; mg TAE/g). The antioxidant potential of the extract was evaluated using DPPH (IC₅₀ = 0.450 ± 0.017mg/mL), ABTS (IC₅₀ = 0.538 ± 0.027 mg/mL) and FRAP (137.72 ± 0.224 µg Trolox equivalent /g) assays. These results suggest that Jacquemontia pentanthos is a nutritionally rich species with promising antioxidant activity and potential for use in functional foods and phytopharmaceutical applications.