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World J Gastroenterol. May 21, 2014; 20(19): 5594-5609
Published online May 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i19.5594
Overview of the phytomedicine approaches against Helicobacter pylori
Filipa F Vale, Mónica Oleastro
Filipa F Vale, Centro de Patogénese Molecular, Unidade dos Retrovírus e Infecções Associadas, Instituto de Medicina Molecular e Instituto de Investigação do Medicamento (iMed.ULisboa), Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
Mónica Oleastro, Departamento de Doenças Infeciosas, Instituto Nacional Saúde Dr. Ricardo Jorge, 1649-016 Lisboa, Portugal
Author contributions: Vale FF and Oleastro M substantial contributed to the conception, analysis and interpretation of data, writing the article, and final approval of the version to be published.
Supported by The funding from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, PTDC/EBB-EBI/119860/2010
Correspondence to: Filipa F Vale, PhD, Centro de Patogénese Molecular, Unidade dos Retrovírus e Infecções Associadas, Instituto de Medicina Molecular e Instituto de Investigação do Medicamento (iMed.ULisboa), Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal. vale.filipa@gmail.com
Telephone: +35-1-214269770 Fax: + 35-1-214269800
Received: September 28, 2013
Revised: December 18, 2013
Accepted: March 6, 2014
Published online: May 21, 2014
Core Tip

Core tip: Considering the worldwide spread of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) antibiotic resistance, therapeutic alternatives beyond antibiotics have been investigated during the last years, including vaccines, probiotics, photodynamic inactivation, phage therapy and phytomedicine, which are reviewed in the present paper, giving particular attention to phytomedicine. The manuscript offers an extensively referenced text about the effect of herbal medicines on H. pylori, describing the first applications of herbal medicine, passing by the category of performed studies, enumerating the tested compounds, identifying the active principle and the mode of action, and concluding with the limitations and promises of this old made new therapy.