In vitro activity of dried extracts of Nepeta cataria against Helicobacter pylori strains

ARCE, SILVIA; VEGA, ALBA; MATTANA, CLAUDIA; ACOSTA, GIMENA; ORTEGA, CLAUDIA; LLABOT, JUAN; GOMEZ, MARÍA ROXANA

Pharmacology online

Società Italo-Latinoamericana di Etnomedicina

Año: 2012 vol. 1 p. 67 - 74

1827-8620

Abstract Nepeta cataria L. (Lamiaceae) is widely used in popular medicine for the treatment of several gastrointestinal disorders. Drying procedures were applied to infusions prepared at 10% and 15% (w/v) from dried grounded aerial parts of Nepeta cataria. Freeze-drying extracts (FDEs) and spray-dried extracts (SDEs) were obtained. The activity against H. pylori of SDEs and FDEs was evaluated. FDEs were active against H. pylori in the three strains evaluated at 10 and 0.31 mg/ml. SDEs were not active against H. pylori at any concentration. Chemical fingerprints were achieved by Capillary Electrophoresis (CE). The infusion, SDE and FDE profiles showed a similar chemical composition. However, at 6.1 min, a peak with analogous corrected area was detected in the infusion and FDE profiles; in addition it was not found in the SDE. In the FDE samples the main components concentration was lower than in the infusion and SDE samples. The highest concentration of the metabolites was found in the SDE samples. Minor components of the infusion that are not present after the spray drying procedure can be related with the antibacterial activity. Further research aimed the identification and purification of anti-H. pylori components from the N. cataria are necessary as well as to determine the degree of toxicity of these extracts