Antibacterial Efficacy of Carica papaya (Pawpaw) Seeds against Some Clinical Bacterial Isolates

The increase in antibacterial resistance has led to the urgent need for novel therapeutic agents, and recently, plant-based antibacterials have emerged as a promising substitute. This study aimed to investigate the antibacterials activity of the aqueous and ethanol extracts of the Carica papaya seeds against Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. C. papaya seeds were collected, dried, and ground into powder, followed by the extraction of their bioactive compounds using water and ethanol solvents. The antimicrobial activity of the extracts against selected bacterial isolates using the agar well diffusion method was determined, as well as the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the extracts. Phytochemical profiling revealed the presence of alkaloids, carbohydrates, proteins, flavonoids, tannins, and glycosides in both aqueous and ethanolic extracts, with phenolic compounds and saponins unique to ethanolic extract. The ethanolic extract showed antimicrobial activity against all the isolates used in the study. E. coli had the highest susceptibility of 11.6 ± 3.9 mm, while S. typhi showed the least 3.3 ± 0.2 mm. The aqueous extract demonstrated antibacterial activity against E. coli, S. aureus, and P. aeruginosa, while S. typhi was resistant. This study confirmed that C. papaya seeds contain bioactive phytochemicals with broad-spectrum antibacterial properties, mainly when extracted using ethanol. These findings indicate that C. papaya seeds could be utilized in the development of an effective antibiotic, potentially addressing the growing threat of drug-resistant bacteria.