Anti-Helicobacter pylori activity of plants used in Mexican traditional medicine for gastrointestinal disorders.
OBJECTIVE
Helicobacter pylori is the major etiological agent of chronic active gastritis and peptic ulcer disease and is linked to gastric carcinoma. Treatment to eradicate the bacteria failed in many cases, mainly due to antibiotic resistance, hence the necessity of developing better therapeutic regimens. Mexico has an enormous unexplored potential of medicinal plants. This work evaluates the in vitro anti-H. pylori activity of 53 plants used in Mexican traditional medicine for gastrointestinal disorders.


METHODS
To test the in vitro antibacterial activity, agar dilution and broth dilution methods were used for aqueous and methanolic extracts, respectively.


RESULTS
Aqueous extracts of Artemisia ludoviciana subsp. mexicana, Cuphea aequipetala, Ludwigia repens,and Mentha x piperita (MIC 125 to <250 microg/ml) as well as methanolic extracts of Persea americana, Annona cherimola, Guaiacum coulteri, and Moussonia deppeana (MIC <7.5 to 15.6 microg/ml) showed the highest inhibitory effect.


CONCLUSIONS
The results contribute to understanding the mode of action of the studied medicinal plants and for detecting plants with high anti-Helicobacter pylori activity.
Castillo-Juárez
Israel
I
Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, C.P. 04510, México, D.F., Mexico.
González
Violeta
V
Jaime-Aguilar
Héctor
H
Martínez
Gisela
G
Linares
Edelmira
E
Bye
Robert
R
Romero
Irma
I
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000187:drug effects*; D019684:Magnoliopsida; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D008800:Mexico; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010946:Plants, Medicinal
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts