Alma Mileira Zetina-Esquivel

Studies on Carica papaya have focused on addressing challenges in cultivation, postharvest management, and its medicinal properties. Given the extensive volume of information produced, a quantitative analysis is required to clarify the intellectual framework of C. papaya research. This study aims to delineate the scientific landscape of C. papaya, identify research trends in agriculture and food science, and analyze correlations between secondary metabolites and bioactivities using bibliometric analysis. Our analysis examined 6546 documents from 1737 journals, consisting of 6076 articles, 379 reviews, and 91 conference papers. The United States, India, Brazil, and China lead scientific production and maintain robust international partnerships. The main research domains were applied sciences (40.9%), analytical studies (36.6%), and experimental research (16.9%), with topics including postharvest quality, disease resistance, genomic sequencing, and biological activities. A co-occurrence analysis revealed an association between polar leaf extracts and phenolic and flavonoid compounds, which are linked to antioxidant, anticancer, and antimicrobial activities. Furthermore, antioxidant activity was the most frequent finding (945 articles). In conclusion, scientific knowledge of C. papaya primarily comprises studies on the plant genome, crop diseases, and bioactive compounds. Research highlights the plant as a valuable resource for sustainable agriculture, specifically its leaves as a source of novel phytopharmaceuticals.

Studies on Carica papaya have focused on solving challenges related to its cultivation, postharvest management, and medicinal properties. Given the extensive volume of information produced, a quantitative analysis is required to delineate the intellectual framework and development of C. papaya research. This study presents the first comprehensive bibliometric analysis of 45 years of scientific research on C. papaya. Our analysis examined 6,544 documents from 1,737 journals, consisting of 6,076 articles, 379 reviews, and 91 conference papers. The United States, India, Brazil, and China lead scientific production, maintaining robust international partnerships. The main research domains were applied sciences (40.9%), analytical studies (36.6%), and experimental research (16.9%), with topics including postharvest quality, disease resistance, genomic sequencing, and the biological activities of secondary metabolites. A co-occurrence analysis revealed an association between polar leaf extracts and phenolic and flavonoid compounds, which are linked to antioxidant, anticancer, and antimicrobial properties. Furthermore, antioxidant activity was the most frequent finding (945 articles). In conclusion, scientific knowledge of C. papaya primarily comprises studies on the plant genome, crop diseases, and bioactive compounds. Research highlights the plant as a valuable resource for sustainable agriculture and, specifically, its leaves as a source of novel phytopharmaceuticals.

We analyzed the effect of diosgenin, administered with atorvastatin or ezetimibe, on the fate of ³H(G)-taurocholic acid or 26-¹⁴C-cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic rats. Male Wistar rats received a hypercholesterolemic diet (HD), HD + atorvastatin (HD+ATV), HD + ezetimibe (HD+EZT), HD + diosgenin (HD+DG), HD+ATV+EZT, or HD+ATV+DG for 40 days. We also included a control normal group (ND). The labelled compounds were administered on day 30. The animals were placed in metabolic cages for daily feces collection. At day 40 the rats were sacrificed. Lipid extracts from blood, liver, spinal cord, testicles, kidneys, epididymis, intestine, and feces were analyzed for radioactivity. Cholesterol activity was the highest in the liver in HD rats. DG diminished one half of this activity in HD+DG and HD+ATV+DG groups in comparison with the HD group. HD+ATV rats showed four to almost ten-fold cholesterol activity in the spinal cord compared with the ND or HD rats. Fecal elimination of neutral steroids was approximately two-fold higher in the HD+DG and HD+ATV+DG groups. Taurocholic acid activity was four to ten-fold higher in HD+DG intestine as compared to the other experimental groups. Taurocholic activity in the liver of HD and HD+DG groups was two and a half higher than in ND. Our results show that the combination of DG and ATV induced the highest cholesterol reduction in the liver and other tissues.