Abstract
Extraction of the leaves of Carica papaya (family Caricaceae) and Azadirachta indica (family Meliacea) were done using solvents with varying polarities (acetone, hexane and ethylacetate). The crude extracts were screened for phytoconstituents using the preliminary method and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for separation and quantification of the constituents. Susceptibility of three medically important microorganisms (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Candida alblicans) to the solvent extracts was tested at 100 mg/mL, 50 mg/mL and 25 mg/mL concentrations the disc diffusion technique. Tannins, saponins, alkaloids, steroids, flavonoids and anthraquinone were present in all the solvent extracts of A. indica and C. papaya. Protein was present in all the solvent extracts of A. indica but absent in all the solvent extracts of C. papaya. Terpenoid was only present in hexane extract of A. indica but absent in other solvent extracts of A. indica and C. papaya. Flavonoid was present in all but only absent in ethylacetate extract of A. indica. Glycoside was present in all but absent in hexane extract of A. indica. Coumarin was only present in acetone extracts of both plants and absent in other solvent extracts of the two plants. Extracts of Carica papaya and Azadirachta indica displayed varying inhibitory activities (between 5.00-15.00 mm) against the organisms at all the tested concentrations. Acetone extract of A. indica produced zones of inhibition ranging from 5.00-14.00 mm while acetone extract of C. papaya produces a range of 4.00-10.00 mm. Also, hexane extract of A. indica produced inhibition range of 7.00-10.00 mm whereas hexane extract of C. papaya produces a range of 5.00-15.00 mm. However, ethylacetate extract of A. indica produced inhibition range of 5.00-13.67 mm, while ethylacetate extract of C. papaya produce a range of 5.00-15.00 mm. Different compounds quantified as different peaks by HPLC in the different solvent extracts of Carica papaya are acacic acid, genistein, protodioscin, betulinic acid, phorbolester, creptolepinone, brusatol and alpha ionone while the fractions from the solvent extracts of Azadirachta indica are myricetin, azadirachtol, azadirachtin a, pentadecane, phytol, azadirachnol, quercetin, b caryophyllen, alpha ionone, ascaridole, trams.b.farnes. Results obtained in this work indicated that all the solvent extracts of Carica papaya and Azadirachta indica contained active phytoconstituents and the extracts displayed good potentials at preventing diseases associated with the microorganisms tested in this work.
Highlights
Indiscriminate use of antibiotics in human and veterinary healthcare system has led to the emergence of multidrug resistant (MDR) strains of microorganism which pose greater threat to the global public health (Goyal et al, 2008)
Percentage yield of acetone, hexane and ethyl acetate extracts of Carica papaya and Azadirachta indica after evaporation Acetone (12.40%), hexane (14.6%) and ethylacetate (8.04%) extracts of A. indica gave higher percentage yield, while low percentage yield was obtained for acetone (10.2%), hexane (10.0%) and ethylacetate (8.0%) extracts of C. papaya (Figure 1)
Classes of compounds: tannin, steroid, saponin, anthraquinone and alkaloid were present in all the solvent extracts of A. indica and C. papaya
Summary
Indiscriminate use of antibiotics in human and veterinary healthcare system has led to the emergence of multidrug resistant (MDR) strains of microorganism which pose greater threat to the global public health (Goyal et al, 2008). The more realistic perception of the limitations of orthodox medicines in terms of cost, accessibility, effectiveness and safety (Shariff, 2001) has driven researchers to source for plants with medicinal properties for the development of new antimicrobial substances to which microorganisms have not yet developed resistance. Most parts of the developing countries accept and rely on herbal medicine due to the belief of better compatibility with the human body and fewer side effects (Mohammad et al, 2010). It has been estimated that about 35,000 to 70,000 plants are used as medicinally out of over 400,000 plants species reported worldwide (Bibi et al, 2011). Even though hundreds of plant species have been tested for antimicrobial properties, the vast majority of them have not been adequately evaluated (Mahesh and Satish, 2008). Less than 10% of the world’s flora has been studied chemically in detail to determine their active constituents (Ekam et al, 2010)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
