Abstract
H. pylori is a widespread pathogen, being the main culprit behind gastric and peptic ulcers with possible implications in the development of gastric cancers. In vitro studies have shown that ellagic acid and derivatives present in significant amounts in fruits and leaves have moderate bactericidal effects on H. pylori, while resveratrol was noted to inhibit urease enzyme as high as 90% in different strains of H. pylori. Quercetin seems to inhibit pathogen’s VacA enzyme and kaempferol may prevent translocation of CagA, both phytochemicals being found in significant amounts in berries. In one clinical study, allicin was found to act synergically with standard antibiotic regimens. Although in vitro results seem promising, in vivo studies did not underline significant clinical benefits of phytochemicals compared to standard therapy. Therefore, further studies are needed to accurately estimate any clinical benefit of dietary phytochemicals in H. pylori infection.
Highlights
Research conducted in the past decades suggests that Helicobacter pylori has been an important part of the human oral and stomach bacterial flora for at least 58.000 years [1]
1-3% of the patients with active gastric or peptic ulcers progress to cancers and more than half of the gastric cancer patients have an H. pylori infection [3]
Administration of resveratrol (100 mg/kg/day) for six weeks determined a reduction in H. pylori- induced mRNA transcription and protein expression levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase and interleukin 8 (IL-8)
Summary
Research conducted in the past decades suggests that Helicobacter pylori has been an important part of the human oral and stomach bacterial flora for at least 58.000 years [1]. World Health Organization (WHO) classified H. pylori as a group I carcinogen in 1994 [4], with a higer infection rate in the developing countries (70-80%) compared to 13-50% in the developed ones [5] This pathogen, it transforms urea present in the stomach to carbon dioxide and ammonia. In the quest for novel compounds with potential benefits in preventing H. pylori infection, phytochemicals have received a considerable attention [17] While they do not eradicate H. pylori permanently, they can substantially reduce bacterial colonisation, inflammatory responses and mucosal atrophy and have shown synergistic effects with antibiotics, reducing the antibiotic dose and preventing undesirable side effects [17,18]
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