Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Dec;28(2):735-744.
doi: 10.1007/s40199-020-00348-7. Epub 2020 May 5.

Therapeutic application of Carica papaya leaf extract in the management of human diseases

Surya P Singh  1 , Sanjay Kumar  2 , Sivapar V Mathan  2 , Munendra Singh Tomar  1 , Rishi Kant Singh  1 , Praveen Kumar Verma  1 , Amit Kumar  1 , Sandeep Kumar  1 , Rana P Singh  3 , Arbind Acharya  4
Affiliations
Review

Therapeutic application of Carica papaya leaf extract in the management of human diseases

Surya P Singh et al. Daru. 2020 Dec.

Abstract

Introduction: Papaya (Carica papaya Linn.) belongs to the family Caricaceae and is well known for its therapeutic and nutritional properties all over the world. The different parts of the papaya plant have been used since ancient times for its therapeutic applications. Herein, we aimed to review the anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic and antiviral activities of papaya leaf.

Methods: All information presented in this review article regarding the therapeutic application of Carica papaya leaf extract has been acquired by approaching various electronic databases, including Scopus, Google scholar, Web of science, and PubMed. The keywords Carica papaya, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and phytochemicals were explored until December 2019.

Results: The papaya plant, including fruit, leaf, seed, bark, latex, and their ingredients play a major role in the management of disease progression. Carica papaya leaf contains active components such as alkaloids, glycosides, tannins, saponins, and flavonoids, which are responsible for its medicinal activity. Additionally, the leaf juice of papaya increases the platelet counts in people suffering from dengue fever.

Conclusion: The major findings revealed that papaya leaf extract has strong medicinal properties such as antibacterial, antiviral, antitumor, hypoglycaemic and anti-inflammatory activity. Furthermore, clinical trials are needed to explore the medicative potential of papaya leaf. Graphical abstract Graphical abstract showing the medicinal properties of Carica papaya leaf.

Keywords: Carica papaya. Anticancer. Anti-inflammatory. Immunomodulatory. Phytochemical.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Graphical abstract
Graphical abstract
Graphical abstract showing the medicinal properties of Carica papaya leaf
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Carica papaya leaf derived compounds
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Molecular mechanisms of action of underlying therapeutic properties of papaya leaf
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Tripathi L, Tripathi JN. Role of biotechnology in medicinal plants. Trop J Pharm Res. 2003;2(2):243–253.
    1. Jain SK. Ethnobotany and research in medicinal plants in India. Ethnobot Search New Drugs. 1994;185:153–168. - PubMed
    1. Wang MW, Hao X, Chen K. Biological screening of natural products and drug innovation in China. Philos Trans R SocLond B Biol Sci. 2007;362(1482):1093–1105. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Aravind G, Bhowmik D, Duraivel S, Harish G. Traditional and medicinal uses of Carica papaya. J Med Plants Stud. 2013;1(1):7–15.
    1. Owoyele BV, Adebukola OM, Funmilayo AA, Soladoye AO. Anti-inflammatory activities of ethanolic extract of Carica papaya leaves. Inflammopharmacol. 2008;16(4):168–173. - PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources