Antibacterial activities of Portulaca oleracea on Helicobacter pylori isolated from patients with gastritis and duodenal ulcers in Basrah, Iraq

BACKGROUND: One of the new approaches in the treatment and eradication of Helicobacter pylori is the use of new herbal compounds. Portulaca oleracea has many antimicrobial properties. This study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial activity of P. oleracea extracts on H. pylori isolated from patients with gastritis and duodenal ulcers in Basrah, Iraq.METHODS: In this cross-sectional study (August to December 2023), gastric and duodenal biopsies specimens were collected and cultured on a Modified Columbia Urea Agar plate. Identification of H. pylori was done through Gram staining and biochemical tests. Antibacterial activities of different concentrations (200, 150, 100, 50, 25 mg/mL) of methanolic, ethanolic, and aqueous extracts of P. oleracea stems and leaves were assessed on H. pylori using disc diffusion method.RESULTS: The results showed that crude methanolic, ethanolic, and aqueous extracts of P. oleracea stems and leaves have antibacterial activity on H. pylori. Different concentrations of ethanolic extract of P. oleracea stems showed inhibition zones ranged from 10 to 26 mm against H. pylori. These inhibition zones were larger than leaves ethanolic extract with inhibition zones of 9 to 24 mm. Different concentrations of stems methanolic extract showed larger inhibition zones (9-23 mm) when compared to leaves methanolic extract (11-22 mm). Moreover, stem aqueous extracts showed larger inhibition zones (11-21 mm) in diameter than leaves aqueous extracts (9-18 mm).CONCLUSIONS: According to the results, P. oleracea may provide a good potential source of antibacterial compounds against H. pylori that need further analysis to reveal its effective ingredients.