Antibacterial Activity of Extracts and Essential Oils of Two Iranian Medicinal Plants, Salvia mirzayanii and Zhumeria majdae, Against Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacter pylori is the major etiological agent of chronic active gastritis, peptic ulcer and gastric carcinoma. Therapeutic protocols used in eradication of this organism fail in many cases, mainly due to emerging antibiotic resistance; hence developing better therapeutic regimens is a high demanded necessity. In an effort to discover natural anti-Helicobacter pylori compounds, we investigated the anti-Helicobacter pylori effects of both extracts and essential oils of Salvia mirzayanii and Zhumeria majdae that are used for treatment of gastritis and peptic ulcer diseases in folk medicine. Antibacterial activity of these materials against Helicobacter pylori isolated from biopsy samples was evaluated in vitro using disc diffusion method. Our results revealed that the essential oils (1/10 and 1/20) and the extracts (20, 40, 50 mg/ml) of both plants have strong antibacterial effects against H.pylori, although the strongest activity was seen for Salvia mirzayanii essential oils. The essential oils of two plants; Salvia mirzayanii and Zhumeria majdae, contain components that could be potential industrial sources for preparing effective drugs against H. pylori strains.