Chemical composition and anti-Helicobacter pylori effect of Satureja bachtiarica Bunge essential oil

Resistance of H. pylori strains to common antibiotics has been developed in different parts of the world and continues to increase. It is important to investigate the novel and efficient anti-H. pylori drugs, among which the plants would be suitable sources. Satureja bachtiarica Bunge is traditionally used as antimicrobial agent. In this study, we evaluated the antibacterial activity of S. bachtiarica Bunge essential oil against 10 clinical isolates of Helicobacter pylori by disc diffusion and agar dilution methods. The chemical composition of essential oil was analyzed by GC and GC-MS. Carvacrol (45.5%) and thymol (27.9%) were the primary constituents of oil, followed by p-cymene (4.4%), and gamma-terpinene (4.0%). S. bachtiarica essential oil showed strong antibacterial activity against clinical isolates of H. pylori (17.6 +/- 1.1 mm and 0.035 +/- 0.13 mu l/ml). Carvacrol, as the first main component, had a significant role in this effect, whereas in the presence of thymol, the antibacterial effect of carvacrol was reduced. Therefore, S. bachtiarica essential oil can be applied as an alternative agent for treatment of H. pylori infections. More studies would be required to better clarify its mechanism of action on H. pylori. (C) 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.