Sonchus wightianus DC is native to South Asia and traditionally been known for its wide range application for the treatment of several human ailments. However, its application for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease (AD) were not studied yet. In this present study, comprehensive metabolites profiling of plant parts and in- vitro cholinesterase inhibitory potential was examined to see the efficacy of plant extract against AD.

The potent antioxidant activity was demonstrated by the flower extract in both DPPH and ABTS assays, with IC50 values of 104.06 ± 2.05 µg/mL and 67.69 ± 1.58 µg/mL, respectively. The crude methanol extract of the leaf displayed the highest butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibition potential with IC50 values of 281.09 ± 14.64 µg/mL. In contrast, the flower extract exhibited the strongest acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition with IC50 values of 247.51 ± 11.15 µg/mL. Furthermore, evaluated plant parts were a rich source of essential macro and micronutrients. Principal component analysis revealed the major contribution of total phenolic content (TPC), and total flavonoids content (TFC) in the plant extracts, which might be the prime reason for strong antioxidant and cholinesterase inhibition. Further, the HRMS profiling analysis revealed the presence of Linoleic acid, gingerol, kaempferol, genistein, daidzein, chlorogenic acid, fisetin and 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid.