TITLE:
Pectin shows antibacterial activity against Helicobacter pylori
AUTHORS:
Ziad Daoud, Mihir Sura, Roula M. Abdel-Massih
KEYWORDS:
Pectin; Helicobacter pylori; Antibacterial Activity; Antibiotic; MIC; MBC
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology,
Vol.4 No.2A,
February
28,
2013
ABSTRACT: Pectins
are the collective name for a group of heterogeneous, high molecular weight, branched polysaccharides that are found in the cell walls of higher
plants. In this study, we intend to determine the antibacterial activity of pectin
against reference strains and clinical isolates of Helicobacter pylori. The
results show that pectin produced antibacterial effects on all the 16 clinical isolates
and 2 reference strains of H. pylori with the greatest antibacterial effect
at a low pH (5.0) versus higher pHs. The lowest Minimum Inhibitory Concentration
recorded was of 0.016 μg/μl. Antibiotic resistance, therapy costs, and undesirable
side effects stress the need for new antimicrobials or alternative therapies. The
results from our study can further our goal of future eradication of H. pylori infection using new molecules.