capsaicin, H pylori

OBJECTIVE: There have been a number of reports that natural foods such as garlic, honey, and capsaicin can inhibit Helicobacter pylori in vitro and each report has suggested the natural ingredient be used for treatment of the infection. We investigated whether garlic or capsaicin-containing peppers would actually inhibit H. pylori in vivo. METHODS: We performed a prospective crossover study in healthy H. pylori-infected adults. We used the urea breath test to assess the status of the H...

Gastric mucosa is continuously exposed to various aggressive factors such as stress, ulcerogenic drugs including aspirin-like agents, gastrotoxic bacteria, particularly Helicobacter pylori (Hp) and many other exogenous and endogenous irritants. The maintenance of mucosal barrier depends upon the activation of pre-epithelial (mucus-alkaline secretion), epithelial (surface active phospholipids, mucosal cell restitution and proliferation) and post-epithelial (mucosal microcirculation) lines of mucosal defence...

Capsaicin, the active ingredient in chili, has been implicated as both a cytoprotective and a detrimental agent to the gastric mucosa. The effect of capsaicin on Helicobacter pylori has not been investigated previously. Therefore, we performed in vitro time- and concentration-dependent studies to examine the growth of H. pylori in the presence of capsaicin. Capsaicin specifically inhibited growth of H. pylori dose-dependently at concentrations greater than 10 micrograms ml-1 (P < 0.05) but did not inhibit the growth of a human fecal commensal Escherichia coli strain...

BACKGROUND: The urease-ammonia (NH4OH) system has been proposed to play a major role in the pathogenesis of the Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis, but the mechanism of the mucosal damage has not been fully explained. This study was designed to examine possible adaptive cytoprotection and the adaptation of rat gastric mucosa to the irritant action of NH4OH and urease. METHODS AND RESULTS: Single application of NH4OH alone in various concentrations (15-500 mM) caused concentration-dependent mucosal damage starting with 30 mM and reaching a maximum at 250 mM NH4OH, similar to that obtained with 100% ethanol; it was accompanied by a decrease in gastric blood flow (GBF) to approximately 30% of the normal value...