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World J Gastroenterol. Feb 14, 2014; 20(6): 1450-1469
Published online Feb 14, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i6.1450
Exploring alternative treatments for Helicobacter pylori infection
Guadalupe Ayala, Wendy Itzel Escobedo-Hinojosa, Carlos Felipe de la Cruz-Herrera, Irma Romero
Guadalupe Ayala, Carlos Felipe de la Cruz-Herrera, Centro de Investigación sobre Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública INSP, C.P. 62100, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México
Wendy Itzel Escobedo-Hinojosa, Irma Romero, Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 Ciudad de México, México
Author contributions: Ayala G, Escobedo-Hinojosa WI, de la Cruz-Herrera CF and Romero I wrote the paper; Ayala G and Romero I revised the paper and approved the final version.
Supported by DGAPA-UNAM IN225711 México; CONACYT, Grant 2011-CO1-162358, México
Correspondence to: Irma Romero, PhD, Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Ciudad de México, México. irma@bq.unam.mx
Telephone: +52-55-56232511 Fax: +52-55-56162419
Received: October 10, 2013
Revised: December 21, 2013
Accepted: January 3, 2014
Published online: February 14, 2014
Core Tip

Core tip:Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) plays a role in several gastric diseases. Current anti-H. pylori therapy fails in more than 20% of cases, primarily due to antimicrobial resistance and patient non-adherence. This situation has encouraged the search for other approaches to control H. pylori infection. This review discusses advances in the development of an H. pylori vaccine and new treatments based on plants, probiotics, nutraceuticals, microorganisms, peptides and intragastric violet light irradiation. Alternative therapies have not been effective in eradicating the bacteria in vivo but are promising as complementary treatments diseases associated with H. pylori infection.