ABSTRACT

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 ability of the dried leaves of C. papaya against bacteria of medical importance was carried out. The ethanol and water extract of the dried leaves were tested at 25, 50 and 100 mg/ml concentrations on the bacteria isolates using the disc diffusion method. Results showed very significant broad spectrum antimicrobial activity against Gram- positive and Gram- negative bacteria. The ethanol extracts were more effective than water extracts. The result further showed that the dry sample was effective against both Gram-positive than 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 on ethanol extract showed a better antibacterial activity on Staphyloccusaureus10.0mm while E.colihad 7.4mm on the water extract it showed that Staphylococcus aureushad a concentration of 10.0mm while on the water extract E.colihad 6.2mm.From our study the phytochemical component showed the presence of Alkaloid, Phenol, Tannin and Saponin. It was observed that the Carica papaya ethanol extract showed a high level of Alkaloid content of 3.04 mg/g than the water extract 1.31mg/ml. The result of our findings showed the minimal inhibitory concentration of ethanol and water extracts of the Carica papaya leaves. It showed that on E.coliit had 0.13mg/ml on the ethanol extract while on the water extract it had 0.10mg/ml while on Staphylococcus aureusit showed 0.02mg/ml while at the water extract it had no inhibition. 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.