In vitro susceptibility of the Gram-negative bacterium Helicobacter pylori to extracts of Iranian medicinal plants

Abstract

The susceptibility of Helicobacter pylori to methanol extracts of 12 Iranian medicinal plants used in folk medicine for the treatment of gastric ailments including peptic ulcers disease was screened against one metronidazole-sensitive and one-metronidazole resistant strain of H. pylori using the disk diffusion method. Active extracts (zone of inhibition ≥15 mm) were then re-assayed to obtain the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against 12 clinical isolates of H. pylori by using the agar dilution method. Extracts of the aerial part of Artemisia dracunculus L. (Compositae) and Teucrium polium L. (Lamiaceae), leaves of Salvia mirzayanii Rech. & Esfand. (Lamiaceae) and Salvia officinalis L. (Lamiaceae), flowers of Zataria multiflora Boiss. (Lamiaceae), fruits of Bunium persicum (Boiss.) B. Fedtsch. (Apiaceae), Carum carvi L. (Apiaceae), Heracleum persicum Desf. ex Fischer (Apiaceae), Pimpinella anisum L. (Apiaceae), Trachyspermum copticum (L.) Link (Apiaceae) and Myrtus communis L. (Myrtaceae), and seeds of Nigella sativa L. (Ranunculaceae) were evaluated in the study. Among them, S. mirzayanii had the strongest activity against H. pylori, with a MIC of 32 μg/mL.

Keywords::

• Anti-Helicobacter pylori activity
• Iranian medicinal plants
• methanol extract

Acknowledgment

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest.