Bactericidal activity of medicinal plants, employed for the treatment of gastrointestinal ailments, against Helicobacter pylori.
OBJECTIVE
Helicobacter pylori infection plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of peptic ulcer, and gastric cancer. The current PPI-based triple regimens for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori faces uprising resistance problem demanding for the search of novel candidates. Medicinal plants have always been a source of lead compounds for drug discovery. In the present study, we evaluated the anti-Helicobacter pylori activity of 50 commonly used Unani (traditional) medicine plants from Pakistan that are extensively utilized for the cure of gastrointestinal disorders to explore the natural source for pilot compounds against Helicobacter pylori.


METHODS
Total seven clinical isolates and one standard strain were employed to examine the bactericidal effects of medicinal plants. Helicobacter pylori was isolated from the antral biopsy specimens and confirmed through the standard microbiology procedures. Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the active plants was determined at the concentration range from 7.8 to 500 microg/ml.


RESULTS
Among the herbs evaluated, more than 50% inhibited the growth of eight strains at the concentration of 500 microg/ml. The 70% aqueous-ethanol extracts of Curcuma amada Roxb., Mallotus phillipinesis (Lam) Muell., Myrisctica fragrans Houtt., and Psoralea corylifolia L. demonstrated strong anti-Helicobacter pylori activity with MBC value ranged from 15.6 to 62.5 microg/ml. The most potent bactericidal activity was exhibited by Mallotus phillipinesis (Lam) Muell. which completely killed the bacteria at the concentration of 15.6-31.2 microg/ml.


CONCLUSIONS
The results revealed significant anti-Helicobacter pylori activity of medicinal plants which could be the potential source of new bactericidal agents.
Zaidi
Syed Faisal Haider
SF
Division of Gastrointestinal Pathophysiology, Institute of Natural Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0194, Japan.
Yamada
Kazuki
K
Kadowaki
Makoto
M
Usmanghani
Khan
K
Sugiyama
Toshiro
T
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D019367:Medicine, Unani; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010154:Pakistan; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts