Nutritional and therapeutic potentials of Carica papaya Linn. seed: A comprehensive review

Raphael Idowu Adeoye; Esther Temidayo Olopade; Ifeoluwa Oluwatosin Olayemi; Kunle Okaiyeto; Moses Olayemi Akiibinu

doi:10.14719/pst.2843

Authors

Raphael Idowu Adeoye Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Pure and Applied Sciences, Caleb University, PMB 001, Imota, Lagos, Nigeria. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3367-4901
Esther Temidayo Olopade Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Ilorin, PMB 1515, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1289-8696
Ifeoluwa Oluwatosin Olayemi Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Pure and Applied Sciences, Caleb University, PMB 001, Imota, Lagos, Nigeria. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3896-7757
Kunle Okaiyeto Phytomedicine and Phytochemistry Group, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Bellville, 7535, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7211-714X
Moses Olayemi Akiibinu Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Pure and Applied Sciences, Caleb University, PMB 001, Imota, Lagos, Nigeria. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4782-2488

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.2843

Keywords:

Carica papaya, nutritional value, antidiabetic, antihelminthic, nephroprotective

Abstract

The health benefits and nutritional value of pawpaw or papaya (Carica papaya Linn.) are well established. The entire papaya plant—including the leaves, fruit, bark, root, juice, seeds and latex - is used for dietary, medicinal and other purposes. However, papaya seeds are the under-exploited part since they are typically seen as waste after the edible fruits have been processed and consumed. Hence, the aim of this review is to document the nutraceutical and therapeutic potential of Carica papaya seeds with a view of enhancing its prospect in drug development. The following title search criteria were used “Carica papaya” OR “Papaya” OR “Pawpaw OR C. papaya” AND “seed” OR “seed oil”; while “fruits OR leaves OR stem OR root OR juice OR latex” were excluded. The articles used for this research were limited to the original research articles and those written in English Language only. The seeds which are often seen as waste products offer countless possibilities for developing new nutritional supplements and medicines due to the huge vital micronutrients and a variety of secondary metabolites that have been reported to be embedded in them. Papaya seeds contain beneficial phytochemicals such as carotenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, phytosterols and tocopherols. These substances, have intriguing nutraceutical qualities and are important in the treatment and amelioration of several medical disorders. Benzyl glucosinolates, caricin, fatty acids, crude fibre, carpaine, glucotropaeolin, benzyl isothiocyanate, crude protein, benzyl thiourea, hentriacontane, ß-sitostrol and enzymes (myrosinase and papain) were discovered as nutritional components in papaya seeds. Papaya seeds may be used medicinally as antioxidant, antidiabetic, antiulcerogenic, liver cirrhosis treatment and menstrual cycle modulation.

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