AN ANTIMICROBIAL ANALYSIS AND PHYTOCHEMICAL OF Mangifera indica AND Carica papaya LEAVES

BACKGORUND TO THE STUDY: It is well known that in order for a plant to protect itself, it creates certain compounds that can also protect humans from sickness. Today, there are approximately 4000 distinct phytochemicals that have the potential to alter disorders such as cancer, stroke, or the metabolic system (Arts and Hollman, 2005). Phytochemicals are naturally occurring chemical substances in plants that are responsible for numerous plant characteristics such as smell, taste, colour, and other organoleptic features. Curative (or nutritive) compounds include alkaloid, saponins, tannins, flavonoids, phenols, glycosides, isoflavones, cartenoids, and sulphides, as well as non-curative (or non-nutritive) compounds like cyanide, oxalates, terpenes, and terpenoids (WHO, 2021). Though certain phytochemicals have biological relevance due to their recognised vital nutritional qualities, several have been regarded as possible medications due to their therapeutic potential (Marjorie 2019). Plants that contain such phytochemicals are considered medical plants since they have qualities comparable to conventional pharmaceutical medications. Because of their pharmacological qualities, natural plants are commonly used as primary health treatments in the local community. Plant extracts are still widely utilised in the treatment of malaria and other illnesses in many parts of the world, particularly in West Africa (World Health Organization, 2021). In truth, every plant is medicinal due to the contents of its phytochemicals; hence, pharmaceutical enterprises rely greatly on their therapeutic purpose in order to be employed as precursors for drug production (Bouayed et al., 2017).

This is due to the active substances that may be collected from plant parts such as leaves, stems, barks, roots, bulks, rhizomes, woods, flowers, fruits, or seeds for therapeutic purposes. Most phytochemicals, including sulphides (found in onions, leeks, and garlic), carotenoid (found in carrots), flavonoids (found in fruits and vegetables), and polyphenols (found in tea and grapes), have antioxidant activity and protect our cells from oxidative damage, as well as lowering the risk of developing certain types of cancer. Some have hormonal effects, such as isoflavones (found in soy), which mimic human oestrogen and assist to alleviate menopausal symptoms. Some also activate enzymes such as indoles (found in cabbages), which inhibits the effectiveness of oestrogen and hence the risk of breast cancer. Caspacin (found in hot peppers) protects DNA from carcinogens, but allicin (found in garlic) is antibacterial (Manach, 2004).