PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING OF PAWPAW LEAF (CARICA PAPAYA) AQUEOUS EXTRACT
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51791/njap.vi.4815Keywords:
Aqueous extract, medicinal plants, phytochemical screening, Carica papaya (pawpaw), chemical componentsAbstract
The aqueous extract of Carica papaya (pawpaw) leaves were subjected to phytochemical screening for possible use in ethnoveterinary research. The secondary metabolites (component) of the extract were determined at the Toxicology Unit, Biochemistry Division, National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom for saponins, carbohydrate, alkanoids, tannins, flavonoids, anthraguinone, cardiac glycoside and resins using Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC). The result of the phytochemical screening revealed the presence of saponin, carbohydrate, alkanoid, tannins, flavonoids and cardiac
glycoside among the secondary metabolic tested for and the extract was absent in anthraguinones and resins. The presence of chemical coponents in the leaves may be its reason for use in traditional medicine. It was therefore concluded that base on this discovery, the phytochemical components could be further taken for investigation in ethnoveterinary Research to develop it into drugs.
