In vitro antibacterial activity of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) extract and its two major constituents against Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacter pylori (HP) is the principal cause of chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer and gastric carcinoma [1]. Although there are several drug treatment regimes for these infections, sometimes eradication failure and side effects of drugs are observed [2]. Saffron is a spice that is native cultivated in both Iran and Spain and has been reported in the folk medicine as a stomach tonic [3]. Percolated methanol and aqueous extracts of saffron were tested against 45 clinical isolated of HP by filter paper disc diffusion method on modified egg yolk emulsion agar in comparison with amoxicillin (25µg/disc) and metronidazole (5µg/disc). There was a significant difference between methanol (17.1±3.1mm) and aqueous (14.4±2.6mm) extracts (2mg/disc) of saffron (p<0.001). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the methanol extract was 677µg/ml determined by agar dilution method. There was a significant difference between safranal and crocin (principal constituents of saffron) activity against 9 clinical strains of HP (p<0.001). The average of MIC and MBC of crocin for these 9 strains were 263 and 300µg/ml respectively. MIC and MBC of safranal were 16.6µg/ml. After autoclaving both constituents preserved their antibacterial activity. The methanol extract and crocin preserved their activity at pH=5.

Acknowledgements: This study was supported by Islamic Azad University, Mashhad Branch, Iran for the Scientific Research Project.

References: 1. Nachamkin I. and Skirrow M.B. (1998), Topely and Willson's Mcirobiology and Microbial Infections, Oxford University Press, London.

2. kuipers E, et al. (2003), Curr Opin Pharmacol, 3(5): 480–85.

3. Zargari A, (1997) Medicinal plants. Tehran University Press. Iran.