Effect of Different Drying Treatments and Solvent Ratios on Phytochemical Constituents of <i>Ipomoea aquatica</i> and Correlation with α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Activity

<p><i>Ipomoea aquatica</i> is an aquatic plant that is widely consumed in Southeast Asia as a vegetable. In this study, the influence of various ethanol ratios (0, 20, 50, 80, and 100%) as an extraction solvent and different drying methods including air drying, sun drying, and oven drying on phytochemical constituents of <i>I. aquatica</i> was investigated using a proton nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolomics approach. The effect on α-glucosidase inhibitory activity and total phenolic content was also examined. Clear discrimination was observed between different ethanol ratios and different drying processes by principal component analysis. The highest α-glucosidase inhibitory activity was observed for absolute ethanol extract from the oven drying method with IC₅₀ value of 204.0 ± 59.0 µg/mL and total phenolic content value of 22.0 ± 0.7 µg gallic acid equivalent/mg extract. Correlation between the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity and the metabolite were analyzed using a partial least square analysis. The metabolites that are responsible for the activity were quercetin derivatives, chlorogenic acid derivatives, sucrose, and fructose. This study highlights the basis for future investigations of <i>I. aquatica</i> as a source of food that has the potential for nutraceutical enhancement and as ingredient in medicinal preparation.