Clitorin and manghaslin from Carica papaya leaf juice: characterisation and antioxidant properties

Like other plant parts, leaves of Carica papaya L. (belongs to family Caricaceae) have a high content of phytochemicals that not only have beneficial food nutritional values but also medicinal potential such as against dengue. Flavonols (clitorin and manghaslin) detected in the C. papaya leaf juice were the subjects of interest in this study which also evaluated their antioxidant profile via electron radical scavenging assays. The leaf juice obtained was subjected to sequential chromatography processes (liquid-liquid extraction and centrifugal partition chromatography) to identify the presence of targeted compounds (clitorin and manghaslin) in the juice. The separation work was further characterised by spectroscopy techniques (thin layer chromatography and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry). The antioxidant assays (both DPPH and ABTS) revealed that manghaslin exhibited better 50% inhibitory activity than ascorbic acid. Therefore, the radical scavenging activities of manghaslin are found better than clitorin, despite both being identified in the leaf juice. Bioactivity associated with the difference of their antioxidant activities shall be studied as well.