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Comparative studies on antimicrobial properties of extracts of fresh and dried leaves of Carica papaya (L) on clinical bacterial and fungal isolates

Okunola A. Alabi, Muyideen T. Haruna, Chinedu P. Anokwuru, Tomisin Jegede, Harrison Abia, Victor U. Okegbe and Babatunde E. Esan

The efficacy of treatments with C. papaya is dependent on the quantity of the different chemical substances present in the preparation. The quantity of chemical substances varies in the fruit, latex, leaves, and roots and varies with the extraction method, age of the plant part, and the cultivar and sex of the tree. The antibacterial and antifungal ability of both fresh and dried leaves of C. papaya against bacteria and fungi of medical importance was carried out. The aqueous, ethanol and acetone extract of both the dried and fresh leaves were tested at 25, 50 and 100 mg/ml concentrations on both the bacteria and fungi isolates using the disc diffusion method. Results showed very significant broad spectrum antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and fungi. The organic extracts were more effective than aqueous extracts. The result further showed that the dry sample was effective against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria while the fresh sample was more effective against Gram-negative bacteria. The dried leaf extract was potent against some of the bacteria which standard antibiotics were not able to inhibit. C. papaya leaves showed a better antibacterial activity than antifungal activity. Demonstration of antimicrobial activity against the test isolates is an indication that there is possibility of sourcing alternative antibiotic substances in this plant for the development of newer antibacterial agents.