International Journal of Medicinal Plants and Alternative Medicine Vol. 3(1), pp. 010-017, February 2015 ISSN 2327-560X ©2015 Academe Research Journals

Full Length Research Paper

In vitro inhibition of Helicobacter pylori by methanolic extract of Stenocereus marginatus and Castela texana

Sergio Moreno Limón¹, María Porfiria Barrón González¹*, Israel Martínez Herrera¹, Yadira Quiñones Gutiérrez¹, Jorge Luis Menchaca Arredondo² and Ramón Gerardo Rodríguez Garza¹

Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, ¹Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, ²Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas, CP 66455, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León, México.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: maria.barrongn@uanl.edu.mx. Tel: (01 52) 83294110.

Accepted 2 February, 2015

Abstract

Research on plants has as its purpose the development of new drugs to treat diseases that affect human[DPB1] s. The increasing prevalence of multidrug resistant strains of bacteria and the recent appearance of strains with reduced susceptibility to antibiotics raises the specter of untreatable bacterial infections and adds urgency to the search for brand new infection-fighting strategies. Current advancements in drug discovery technology and search for new drugs from plants have always been of great interest for the scientists working in this field. The biological activity of methanolic extracts of Castela texana and Stenocereus marginatus was evaluated in vitro in the growth of Helicobacter pylori, both extracts inhibited the growth, but the methanolic extract of S. marginatus completely inhibited biofilm formation; this structure is important for the protection of H. pylori and increased resistance to antimicrobial agents. The toxicity was determined in Artemia salina; the methanolic extract of S. marginatus is less toxic than the extract of C. texana. The phytochemical analysis of the methanolic extract of S. marginatus revealed that potential secondary metabolites with anti- H. pylori activity are flavones, sesquiterpene lactones and alkaloids. As a result, future research should be conducted to obtain pure substances from S. marginatus for possible treatment of H. pylori.

Key words: Helicobacter pylori, Stenocereus marginatus, Castela texana.