Phytochemical Properties and Wound Healing Potential of Carica papaya Leaf Extract: An In Vitro Study

Carica papaya is widely used in traditional wound management across southern and central Nigeria, and its biochemical mechanisms of wound healing activity have attracted increasing scientific attention. This study investigates the phytochemical properties and in vitro wound healing potential of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Carica papaya leaves collected from Nasarawa State. Leaf samples were prepared and extracted by maceration. Phytochemical screening using standard methods identified flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, saponins, phenols, and glycosides in both extracts. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH radical scavenging and ABTS decolourization assays. In vitro wound healing was assessed using the scratch assay on normal human dermal fibroblast cells obtained from an accredited cell culture repository, measuring percentage wound closure at twelve and twenty-four hour intervals using ImageJ software. Anti-inflammatory activity was assessed by protein denaturation inhibition using bovine serum albumin as the substrate, with diclofenac as a positive control. The ethanolic extract showed significantly higher total phenolic content and stronger DPPH scavenging activity than the aqueous extract. Scratch assay results demonstrated that fibroblast cells treated with the ethanolic extract at 100 micrograms per millilitre showed significantly faster wound closure at both time points compared to untreated controls. Protein denaturation inhibition by the ethanolic extract reached 71.4 percent at 500 micrograms per millilitre, comparable to the diclofenac standard. These results provide biochemical evidence supporting the traditional use of Carica papaya in wound management. Keywords: Carica papaya, wound healing, phytochemicals, scratch assay, Nasarawa State.