JAC Advance Access originally published online on July 29, 2003
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Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (2003) 52, 522-523
© 2003 The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
Mastic gum has no effect on Helicobacter pylori load in vivo
1 Division of Gastroenterology, 2 Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, and 3 Department of Microbiology, University Hospital, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK
Received 11 April 2003; returned 19 May 2003; revised 9 June 2003; accepted 12 June 2003
Objective: To determine whether mastic gum suppresses or eradicates Helicobacter pylori infection in humans.
Patients and methods: Nine patients with H. pylori infection, and without gastroduodenal ulceration, were recruited from day-case endoscopy lists and treated with mastic 1 g four times daily for 14 days. [13C]Urea breath tests (UBTs) were carried out immediately before, on day 15 and 5 weeks after treatment with mastic.
Results: Mastic had no effect on H. pylori status in any of the eight completed patients; all remained H. pylori positive by UBT with no change in
scores [pre-treatment mean ± S.E.M. 19.1 ± 3.7, day 15 (post-treatment) 18.7 ± 3.8, P = 0.8, paired t-test].
Conclusion: Despite reported anti-H. pylori action in vitro, this preliminary study shows that mastic has no effect on H. pylori in humans.
Keywords: peptic ulcers, natural treatments, dyspepsia
* Corresponding author. Tel: +44-115-924-9924, ext. 41966; Fax: +44-115-942-2232; E-mail: john.atherton{at}nottingham.ac.uk
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