Biopharming Carica papaya compounds with antibacterial efficacy

Previous studies have reported field grown Carica papaya leaves to have antibacterial activity. However there have been no reports on root culture of Carica papaya or on the efficacy of Carica papaya extracts on autoimmune inflammatory diseases. The current study was undertaken to test the potential use of Carica papaya root extracts to block the microbial triggers of autoimmune inflammatory diseases and to use metabolomics fingerprint analysis to detect anti-inflammatory compounds. Carica papaya roots were grown in vitro under controlled conditions. The roots were extracted with solvents of varying polarity and investigated for their ability to inhibit the growth of several bacterial triggers of autoimmune inflammatory disorders. The most promising extract was further analyzed by RP-HPLC coupled to high accuracy TOF mass spectroscopy. The root extracts displayed potent inhibitory activity against the bacterial trigger of rheumatoid arthritis (P. mirabilis). However, no inhibition of the growth of the bacterial triggers of any other autoimmune disease was detected. The ethyl acetate, chloroform and hexane extracts were the most potent P. mirabilis inhibitors. The growth inhibitory bioactivity of Carica papaya root extracts against Proteus species shows their potential to block the onset of rheumatoid arthritis.