Phytochemical investigation of Ludwigia adscendens subsp. diffusa aerial parts in context of its biological activity

Ludwigia adscendens subsp. diffusa (Onagraceae), an important aquatic herb widely distributed in the Nile River and canals in Egypt. The goal of the current study is to investigate the phytochemical composition of L. adscendens aerial parts n-butanol and ethyl acetate fractions and screening of its biological activities. Phytochemical investigation of L. adscendens resulted in the isolation and purification of eleven compounds belonging to flavonoids, saponins, triterpenoids, and oligosaccharides, of which one compound was identified as new using different spectroscopic techniques. Compound 2 was identified as a new compound namely, 3-O-[β-D-glucopyranoside (1 → 4) α-L-rhamnopyranoside]-23-O-feruloyl-hederagenin-28-O-[α-L-rhamnopyranoside (1 → 2) β-D-glucopyranoside], along with other 10 well know compounds. Furthermore, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective and cytotoxic activities of n-butanol and ethyl acetate fractions were investigated in vitro, revealing that ethyl acetate fraction was the most active as antidiabetic (IC(50) = 62.3 µg/mL), hepatoprotective (IC(50) = 80.75 µg/mL), and cytotoxic against human prostate cancer cell line (IC(50) = 52.2 µg/mL). Collectively, L. adscendens aerial part is rich with a myriad of phytochemicals with potential health benefits. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13065-022-00909-8.