Unveiling the Therapeutic Potential of Carica Papaya Leaf Extracts a Study on Antifungal and Anti-Inflammatory Activities

Abstract

Background: Traditional medical plants have been known to society for a long time. Other than easily available and inexpensive, they are able to cure diseases with few side effects compared to modern medicine. The use of papaya leaves in this study was not only because they contained various chemical compounds that could exert their pharmacological effects, but also the presence of various compounds, which are indicated as Antifungal and Anti-Inflammatory.

Objective: The present research tried to study the antifungal and anti-inflammatory effects of Carica papaya (Red Lady Variety) leaf extracts.

Methods: Freshly harvested Carica papaya leaves of the Red Lady Variety were collected and identified by the herbarium of the Department of Botany at Karachi University. After air-drying, they were chopped, ground into fine powder and extracted with n-Hexane and acetone in a Soxhlet apparatus using 10 grams and 82 grams respectively for drying sample. Extracts after concentration on a rotary vacuum evaporator were stored in a desiccator for further studies and applications. In vitro, agar tube dilution protocol for antifungal activity and oxidative burst assay using chemiluminescence technique for anti-inflammatory.

Results: The in- vitro antifungal Percentage of linear growth inhibition exhibited by n-hexane was between 24% and 40% on different fungal species tested, including Trichophyton rubrum (25%), Candida albicans (40%), Aspergillus niger (25%), Microsporum canis (26%), Fusarium Ini (24%), Candida glabarata (30%) and Aspergillus fumigatus (35%). On the other hand, the acetone extract was able to exhibit growth inhibition rates which were slightly lower, ranging from 20% to 26%. The inhibition rates were as follows: Trichophyton rubrum (23%), Candida albicans (26%), Aspergillus niger (23%), Microsporum canis (25%), Fusarium Ini (20%), Candida glabarata (23%), and Aspergillus fumigatus (23%). In-vitro anti-inflammatory, when tested at 100 µg/mL concentration, it was found that n-hexane leaf extract was able to exhibit 43.6% inhibition of inflammation but was still considered to be less active. Likewise, acetone leaf extract did not show any measurable inhibition when subjected to similar conditions and therefore this also ranked as inactive.

Conclusion: The antifungal inhibition rates were between 23% and 40%, meaning some potential but lower efficiency compared to standard antifungal agents. In the same line, anti-inflammatory activity was moderate where the n-hexane extract only achieved a 43.6% inhibition and the acetone extract had no significant effects at 100 µg/ml.