ABSTRACT:
Medicinal plants contain a richest source of antimicrobial agents. Medicinal plants are used in different countries and are sources of many powerful and effective drugs. Whole plant parts such as roots, fruits, bark, seeds and pulp of Carica papaya are known to have medicinal properties. It has been used for treatment of various diseases like eczema, warts, sinuses, cutaneous tubercles, dyspepsia, blood pressure, amenorrhoea and constipation. Carica papaya belonging to the Caricaceae family and it is a more important medicinal herb that is being used as a folk medicine for the treatment of numerous diseases throughout the world. Carica papaya (Papaya) seeds were extracted by soxhlet apparatus using ethanol, methanol and chloroform solvents. Antibacterial and antifungal activity of extracts with different concentrations (50, 100, 150µg/ml) was tested with three gram positive, three gram negative bacteria and two fungal organisms by agar disc diffusion method. Gentamicin and Fluconazole was used as standard drugs for antibacterial and antifungal activity respectively. Methanol and chloroform extracts produced greater zone of inhibition for gram negative microorganisms than ethanol extract. According to gram positive microorganism, ethanol and chloroform extracts produced more zone of inhibition (10 -15mm) than methanol extract. Candida albicans produced 15, 16mm zone of inhibition in the concentration of 150µg/ml of chloroform and methanol extracts respectively. Similarly, Aspergillus niger was produced 11, 13 mm zone of inhibition in 150µg/ml of methanol and chloroform extracts respectively. From these studies, it is concluded that Carica papaya seed extracts possess very good antibacterial and antifungal activity in both methanol and chloroform extracts. Further it is recommended to isolate of active constituents responsible for these activities.