A Novel Reduction Strategy of Clarithromycin Resistance in Helicobacter pylori

Background: antibiotic resistance is a major therapeutic problem in patients infected with helicobacter pylori. h. pylori clarithromycin resistant mutants have been evolved during antibiotic therapy, this is mainly due to 23s rrna point mutations.objectives: in the present study, we investigated anti-mutational features of four traditionally iranian medicinal plants on three local isolated h. pylori strains.materials and methods: in this study clarithromycin resistance was used as a mutation indicator. frequencies of such mutations in the presence and absence of plant extracts were evaluated. mutation incidence was evaluated by luria delbruck fluctuation assay.results: the mean mutation frequency in h. pylori isolates was 27 × 10-9 which decreased at the presence of mirtus communis, teucrium polium, achillea millefolium and thymus vulgaris of plant extract, this amount was 97.4%, 95.2%, 63.7% and 19.6% respectively. moreover, a-to-g transition at 2143 position (a2143g) was detected by pcr-sequencing as major point mutation causing clarithromycin resistant mutants.conclusions: the efficacy of these plant extracts in prohibiting resistance showed considerable results. this finding should be considered to use plant extracts with antibiotics to develop more effective eradication regimens.