Papaya as Medicaments 179
daily for five consecutive days exhibited elevated platelets count from 55 × 103 /μL
to 168 × 103 /μL. Another study in the murine model also evidenced an increase
in platelets and RBC count without any acute toxicity after oral administration of
papaya extract (Dharmarathna et al. 2013). The juice prepared from leaves recorded
a significant increase of platelet count in a randomised controlled trial conducted on
patients with dengue fever and dengue haemorrhagic fever (Subenthiran et al. 2013).
16.2.10 Anti-Heart Attack
The folic acid found in papayas is needed for the conversion of homocysteine into
amino acids such as cysteine or methionine. If unconverted, homocysteine can
directly damage blood vessel walls and is considered a significant risk factor for a
heart attack or stroke (Aravind et al. 2013).
16.2.11 Anti-Nutrients and Toxicants Activity
Peel and pulp of ripe papaya fruits contain low amounts of antinutritional factors
such as tannin (10.16 mg/100 g of dry matter), phytate (3.29 mg/100 g of dry mat-
ter) and oxalate (1.89 mg/100 g of dry matter) creating incompatibility problems as
reported by Onibon et al. (2007). Carpaine is a major alkaloid found in various parts
of papaya, but is primarily found in leaves (Morton 1987; Duke 1992; Krishna et al.
2008). The major natural toxicants found in papaya are benzyl glucosinolate (BG),
benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) and alkaloids. Fruit and seed extracts have pronounced
bactericidal activity. The seeds of unripe fruits are rich in benzyl isothiocyanate, a
sulphur containing chemical that has been reported to be an effective germicide and
insecticide. These substances are important for plant natural defence mechanisms
(El Moussaoui et al. 2001). Although both BG and BITC are found in papaya peel,
pulp and seed, the highest levels of BG and BITC are found in seeds, 1269.3 and
4 61.4 μmol/100 g fresh weights, respectively. The levels of BG and BITC in papaya
pulp were <3.0 μmol/100 g fresh weight (Nakamura et al. 2007). The concentration
of BITC decreases in pulp and increases in seeds during fruit ripening.
16.2.12 Wound-Healing Activity
The aqueous extract of C. papaya significantly enhances the wound healing that
makes it an ideal dressing component for treatment of wounds (Mahmood et al.
2005). Fruits and seeds of C. papaya were evaluated for wound healing activity
using a wound excision model in diabetic rats, which showed significant reduction
in the wound area compared to untreated diabetic control. It also showed increased
granulation, elevated hydroxyproline content and deposition of collagen in the
wound area (Nayak et al. 2007, 2012). Papaya latex prepared in carbapol gel for
treatment of burns demonstrated a significant increase in hydroxyproline content as
well as wound contraction in Swiss albino mice (Gurung and Skalko-Basnet 2009).
Diabetic mice supplemented with fermented papaya preparation (FPP) showed effec-
tive recruitment of monocytes and proangiogenic response by the macrophages at
the wound site resulting in wound closure (Collard and Roy 2010).