A Comprehensive Review of the Role of Complementary and Dietary Medicines in Eradicating Helicobacter pylori

Antibiotic-resistant Helicobacter pylori isolates have become a global concern. The standard triple or quadruple therapies have recently become the most effective protocol for eradicating H. pylori in the gastrointestinal tract. There is evidence regarding the impact of different complementary or dietary supplements on H. pylori eradication. This review article intended to search electronic bibliographic databases for any clinical studies that evaluated the use of any herbal or dietary supplements to eradicate H. pylori up to June 2021. A total of 20 human studies met our criteria and were reviewed. Although some herbal medicines have shown their efficacy and safety in eradicating H. pylori in different clinical trials, more randomized blind, placebo-controlled human trials with a large sample size must be performed to extend our knowledge.

Helicobacter pylori infection: from standard to alternative treatment strategies

Helicobacter pylori is the major component of the gastric microbiome of infected individuals and one of the aetiological factors of chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer. The increasing resistance to antibiotics worldwide has made the treatment of H. pylori infection a challenge. As a way to overhaul the efficacy of currently used H. pylori antibiotic-based eradication therapies, alternative treatment strategies are being devised. These include probiotics and prebiotics as adjuvants in H. pylori treatment, antimicrobial peptides as alternatives to antibiotics, photodynamic therapy ingestible devices, microparticles and nanoparticles applied as drug delivery systems, vaccines, natural products, and phage therapy. This review provides an updated synopsis of these emerging H. pylori control strategies and discusses the advantages, hurdles, and challenges associated with their development and implementation. An effective human vaccine would be a major achievement although, until now, projects regarding vaccine development have failed or were discontinued. Numerous natural products have demonstrated anti-H. pylori activity, mostly in vitro, but further clinical studies are needed to fully disclose their role in H. pylori eradication. Finally, phage therapy has the potential to emerge as a valid alternative, but major challenges remain, namely the isolation of more H. pylori strictly virulent bacterio(phages).