Effect of extraction solvents on antioxidant and wound healing properties of carica papaya leaves extract

Abstract

Carica papaya is a well-known plant that has been reported to exert various pharmacological activities including antioxidant and wound healing properties. However, to date, the lack of scientific evidence has been explored on the efficiency of the solvents towards C. papaya extract as a potential wound healer. The selection of proper extraction solvent plays a pivotal role in extracting the bioactive compounds from the plant. Therefore, the present study was aimed to examine the effect of three types of extraction solvents (methanol, ethanol and aqueous) on the antioxidant activity and wound healing potential of C. papaya leaves. In this study, the effect of different solvents of C. papaya leaves extracts were determined through 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, cytotoxicity assay and scratch migration assay on Human Skin Fibroblast cells (HSF1184). The result showed that the methanolic extract of C. papaya possessed a significant antioxidant activity as compared to ethanol and aqueous extract. The result also demonstrated that methanolic extract significantly stimulates the highest migration rate of HSF1184 cell at a concentration of 3.9 µg/mL, 7.8 µg/mL and 15.6 µg/ mL (p ≤ 0.05) after 48 hrs with no cytotoxicity observed at the concentration lower than 1000 mg/mL as compared to other solvents. HPLC analysis of methanol extract identified the presence of two flavonoids (catechin, quercetin) and two phenolic acids (caffeic acid, cinnamic acid). The findings suggest that the methanolic extract of C. papaya is effective in fighting free radicals and it has good wound healing activities. It also has the potential to be further explored for its medicinal values owing to the abundance of bioactive compounds from the extract.