Evaluation of Oil Obtained From Paw Paw (Carica Papaya) Seeds
Chapter One
Preamble of the Study
The use of plants as medicines goes back to early man. Certainly the great civilizations of the ancient Chinese, Indians, and North Africans provided written evidence of man’s ingenuity in utilizing plants for the treatment of a wide variety of diseases. In ancient Greece, for example, scholars classified plants and gave descriptions of them thus aiding the identification process. Theophrastus has been described by some as the father of botany but little, if anything, has been recorded on his distant relative J.B. Theophrastus who extolled the virtues of medicinal plants and forecast the possibility of discovering compounds. As Europe entered the dark ages much of this information would have been lost had it not been for the monasteries that acted ascenders for the production of medicinal plants which were used to heal the suffering of mankind. There is still much we can learn from investigating the old herbals particularly those less well known such as the one attributed to the monk J.B. Harbonus. It was not until the 19th century that man began to isolate the active principles of medicinal plants and one particular landmark was the discovery of quinine from Cinchona bark by the French scientists Caventou and Pelletier. Much less is known about the isolation of quinine by J.B. Caventou and J.B. Pelletier. Such discoveries led to an interest in plants from the New World and expeditions scoured the almost impenetrable jungles and forests in the quest for new medicines. (Salim, Chin et al, 2008).
Chapter Two
Literature Review
Phytochemical constituents of Carica papaya:
Chemical tests were carried out qualitatively on the extracts and on the powdered specimens using standard procedures to identify the amino acids and phytochemical constituents as described by Edeoga et al. (2005); Sofowara (1993); Trease and Evans (1996); Harborne (1973) with little modification. The yield of extract was 5.78 and 10.87% for C. papaya. Qualitative phytochemical screening for C. papaya and P. nigrescens seedextracts were found to contain alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, tannins, saponins and anthraquinones.
Micronutrient determination of Carica papaya
Micronutrient determination test was carried out for the presence of minerals –copper, iron, magnesium, manganese and zinc were done following standard procedures via atomic absorption spectroscopy as described by (Okwu and Josiah, 2006) with little modification. Proximate analysis of the plants showed that all the macronutrients were present, with carbohydrate being the most abundant in C. papaya. Vitamins A, C, B12 and Folic acid were present but are void of Vitamin E. Papaya seed extract contained only magnesium, the other metals tested were not detected. (Okwu and Josiah, 2006)
Cancer cell growth inhibition of Caricapapaya
Recent research on papaya seed tea extract has demonstrated cancer cell growth inhibition. It appears to boost the production of key signalling molecules called Th1-type cytokines, which help regulate the immune system. (Aravind, Debjit et. al, 2019)
Cure of Dengue fever using Carica papaya:
Commencing on studies of Dr. Sanath Hettige, who conducted the research on 70 dengue fever patients; said papaya seed juice helps increase white blood cells and platelets, normalizes clotting, and repairs the liver. (Aravind, Debjit et. al, 2019)
Antimalarial and Antiplasmodial Activity of Carica papaya:
Papaya seeds are made into tea as a treatment for malaria. Antimalarial and antiplasmodial activity has been noted in some preparations of the plant but the mechanism is not understood and not scientifically proven. (Aravind, Debjit et. al, 2019)
Anthelmintic activity of Carica papaya latex against patent Heligmosomoides polygyrus infections in mice:
Research shows the possible anthelmintic activity of papaya latex (Carica papaya) against Heligmosomoides polygyrus in experimentally infected mice. Five groups of BALB/C mice were treated with the latex of papaya. The papaya latex showed an antiparasitic efficacy in five groups of mice. The results may suggest a potential role of papaya latex as an anthelmintic against patent intestinal nematodes of mammalian hosts. (Satrija F, Nansen P, 1995)
Antifungal and antibacterial activities of aqueous and methanolic root extracts of Carica papaya linn. (Caricaceae):
The vast potentialities of plants as a source for anti-microbial drugs with reference to antibacterial agent motivated the present systematic investigation to screen the aqueous and methanolic root extracts of Carica papaya for its antimicrobial activity. Eleven microorganism species consisting of seven bacteria and four fungi were tested for their sensitivity to the herbal preparations using the Agar Diffusion method. Ampicillin and tetracycline were used as standard drugs for investigating the bacterial species, while griseofulvin was selected for the fungi, while zones of inhibition were measured to determine the microbicidal property of the test agents. Another set of plates was cultured to estimate the effect of combination therapy using the herbal drug together in varied concentrations with the standard drugs. The results obtained showed both extract to possess good antimicrobial activity against only four of the bacteria and three fungi. However, the organic preparation produced a significant and better efficacy than the water preparation. Combination therapy revealed a synergistic effect between CPY and ampicillin, whereas, antagonism was observed with tetracycline. A wide range of secondary metabolites were identified in both extract with methanolic extract containing a higher amount; (Adejuwon A.O, Agbaje E.O et. al, 2011).
Preliminary Research on papaya against kidney failure:
Papaya seed extract may have in toxicity-induced kidney failure. Evidently a kidney- transplant patient in London was cured of a post-operative infection by placing strips of papaya on the wound for 48 hours. Women in India, Akwa ibom, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and other countries have long used green papaya as an herbal medicine for contraception and abortion. Enslaved women in the West Indies were noted for consuming papaya to prevent pregnancies and thus preventing their children from being born into slavery. (Aravind, Debjit et. al, 2019)
Bioactivity of Carica papaya (Caricaceae) against Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae):
A recent research have shown the composition of a chloroform seed extract of C. papaya was determined by GC-MS. Nineteen compounds were identified, with oleic (45.97%), palmitic (24.1%) and stearic (8.52%) acids being the main components. The insecticidal and insectistatic activities of the extract and the three main constituents were tested. The seed extract gave effect against insect. (Perez, Zavala, et al. 2011).
Chapter Three
Materials and Methods
Preparation of Plant extraction for Experiment
Collection and identification of Carica papaya
The whole plant was collected from Itu and Nwanniba, Uyo in April 2019 during rainy season when weed beds were in their maximum densities. The whole plant with seeds, stems and roots was collected.
Drying of the parts of Caricapapaya
The plant was washed with water. Roots were discarded and the aerial parts were sliced into small pieces and spread in thin layers in trays and dried the seeds at room temperature for 3 days. Then the aerial parts were dried in hot air oven at 50 °C for 3 days and at 40 °C for the next 4 days.
Grinding and storage of the dried samples
The dried parts were ground to coarse powder with the help of blender. This process breaks the plant parts to smaller pieces thus exposing internal tissues and cells to solvents thus facilitating their easy penetration into the cells to extract the constituents. Then the powdered sample was kept in clean closed glass containers till extraction. During grinding of sample, the grinder was thoroughly cleaned to avoid contamination with any remnant of previously ground material or other extraneous matters deposited on the grinder. The weight of the total dry powder was 300.18 g.
Chapter Four
Result and Discussion
Antioxidant test with total phenol:
Total phenolic contents of the methanolic fractions of the seed of Carica papaya were determined by using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and were expressed as gallic acid equivalents (GAE) per gram of plant extract. The total phenolic contents of the test fractions were calculated using the standard curve of gallic acid and papaya seed.
Discussion:
The constituent of the extract of C. papaya (dried) seeds contain compounds and micronutrients which may be responsible for its observed antioxidant activity. This study suggests that the plant possesses antioxidant activities which can counteract the oxidative damage. The total phenol test provides information on the reactivity of the plant extract with a stable free radical. It gives a strong absorption band. The degree of reduction in absorbance measurement is indicative of the radical scavenging (antioxidant) power of the extract. The crude extract of Carica papaya appeared to be as potent as Gallic Acid with maximum inhibition.
The extract is found to have broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and also used as analgesics and narcotics for pain relief. A report indicate that plant extracts are more active against Gram-positive bacteria than Gram-negative bacteria while that of the seed extract of C. papaya was next to the most sensitivity with the Gram-negative bacteria especially Proteus mirabilis (Jigna and Sumitra, 2006). The activity of the extract is comparable to those of antibiotics. The demonstration of activity against the test bacteria provides scientific bases for the local usage of the plant in the treatment of various ailments. The fact that the extract is active against Gram-positive bacteria and Fungi tested may indicate a broad spectrum of activity. This observation is very significant because of the possibility of developing therapeutic substances that will be active against multidrug-resistant organisms.
Conclusion:
Carica papaya is a neutraceutical plant having a wide range of pharmacological activities. The whole plant has its own medicinal value. The wide range of enzymes, vitamins present in Carica papaya makes it a neutraceutical plant.
Antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of methanolic extract of Carica papaya has recently been of great interest in both research and food industry, because of its possible use as natural additives which emerged from a growing tendency to replace synthetic antioxidants with natural ones. Owing to the antioxidant and antibacterial activities exhibited by the seed extract investigated in this study, it could be considered a natural herbal source that can be used in food and pharmaceutical industries. However, further studies are needed to obtain purified compounds that may be responsible for the activities observed from the tested seeds.
References:
- Adejuwon, Agbaje (2011) ‘Antifungal and antibacterial activities of aqueous and methanolic root extracts of Carica papaya linn. (Caricaceae)’ ‘International Research Journal of Microbiology‘ September 2011, Volume: 2[28 November 2019]
- Aravind, Debjit (2019) ‗Traditional and Medicinal Uses of Carica papaya‘Journal of ‘Medicinal Plants Studies’ Volume: 1, Issue: 1 ISSN: 2320-3862
- Augustine, Nonye, Dayie (2012) ‗PHYTOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND COMPARATIVE EFFICACIES OF CRUDE EXTRACTS OF CARICA PAPAYA’‗International Journal of Drug Research and Technology‘ Vol. 2 (5)
- Ayoola (2008) ‗Phytochemical Screening and Antioxidant Activities of Some Selected Medicinal Plants Used for Malaria Therapy in Southwestern Nigeria‘ ‘Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, September 2008; 7 (3): 1019-1024‘
- Baldev, Keith (1982) ‗Isolation and characterization of the four major cysteine-proteinase components of the latex of carica papaya L. reactivity characteristics towards 2,2′-dipyridyl disulfide of the thiol groups of papain, chymopapains A and B, and papaya peptidase A‘ ‘Journal of protein chemistry’ Volume 1, Issue 2.
- Caludia, Marcia (2010)‗Genotoxic and Cytotoxic Safety Evaluation of Papain (Carica papaya L.) Using In Vitro Assays‘ ‘Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology’ Volume 2010 (2010), Article ID 197898
- David (2000) ‗Phytochemistry and medicinal plants‘ ‗Phytochemistry 56 (2001) 237± Available at: http://tdl.libra.titech.ac.jp/z3950/eespdf/00319422/V0056I03/00006246/00006246.pdf
