Assessment of Secondary Metabolites and Thin-Layer Chromatographic Analysis of Carica papaya (Caricaceae) Leaves Ethanolic Extract

Abstract

Carica papaya, also referred to as pawpaw, is a tropical fruit-bearing tree in the Caricaceae family. Papaya is one of the world's most extensively grown crops. Its fruits, seeds, and leaves are widely utilized in cooking and traditional medicine. Papaya leaf extract, tea, and juices are extensively used to cure ailments and promote health. The study aimed to quantify the presence of potential chemical compounds in Carica papaya leaves using Thin-Layer Chromatographic analysis (TLC). Standard qualitative phytochemical tests were performed on the leaves of C. papaya to determine the presence of various phytochemicals, and TLC analysis to ascertain the presence of potential chemical constituents. Extract of Carica papaya leaves in ethanol showed the presence of tannins, alkaloids, glycosides steroids, proteins, flavonoids, carbohydrates, etc., after the phytochemical screening, all of which are useful chemical ingredients responsible for a variety of pharmacological effects. The lack of color change noticed when the heated sample was treated with Fehling's solution revealed the absence of reducing sugar. TLC analysis using several solvent systems revealed the presence of potential chemical constituents with varying Rf values. This variance in the Rf values showed the phytochemicals and potential chemical constituents' polarity and this gave a hint on the type of solvent systems suitable for the analysis and separation of pure components. Hence, Carica papaya leaf extract contains a high concentration of both primary and secondary plant metabolites. TLC profiling yielded a good result, suggesting the existence of numerous possible chemical ingredients in the plant leaves used for the analysis.