The inhibition of Helicobacter pylori infected cells by Origanum minutiflorum

•Anti-Helicobacter pylori effect of Origanum minutiflorum extracts was determined.•Essential oil (EO) extract of O. minutiflorum showed strong activity.•Forty components were identified with GC–MS analysis of O. minutiflorum EO.•EO inhibited H. pylori adhesion/invasion to gastric epithelial (AGS) cells. This study aimed to investigate the potential use of Origanum minutiflorum for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori by determining antimicrobial activity, minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), and chemical composition of its essential oil (EO). Furthermore, cell cytotoxicity and anti-H. pylori action of EO on AGS/H. pylori infected cells were also determined. Essential oil extracts displayed a strong antimicrobial activity against H. pylori. Carvacrol (29.22%), a known antimicrobial agent, was observed as the predominant compound. The MBC (1/20,000 v/v) of EO was nontoxic to AGS cells, revealing a >80% reduction. Moreover, EO at the same concentration displayed the ability to kill H. pylori in/on infected cells. The findings of this study demonstrated the positive antimicrobial and anti-adherence/anti-invasion effect of O. minutiflorum EO extract for the eradication of H. pylori and H. pylori infected AGS cells.