European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF LEAF EXTRACTS OF CARICA PAPAYA AGAINST INFECTION-CAUSING BACTERIA

Abhilasha Shrivastava, Bhajan lal Saket, Bharat Choudhary

ABSTRACT

Due to increase in the thrust for the production of plant-based antimicrobials, the present study was performed on Carica papaya leaves. The study revealed that papaya leaves could contain active antimicrobial compounds which may hinder the growth of wound infection-causing pathogens in invitro conditions The leaf extract was prepared by using acetone, methanol, and water. The antimicrobial nature of the extract was studied by agar well diffusion method against wound infection-causing pathogens viz., Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus vulgaris, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The acetone leaf extracts exerted pronounced antibacterial effect on gram negative bacteria especially Pseudomonas sp. The results obviously justified the importance of topical application of papaya leaf extracts to treat the wound infection as a traditional practice.

Keywords: Plant-based antimicrobials, Pseudomonas sp., acetone, methanol, and water.