Gastroprotective effect of phytoncide extract from Pinus koraiensis pinecone in Helicobacter pylori infection

For centuries, herbs have been used by traditional therapists around the world to treat gastrointestinal tract disorders, such as gastritis. We hypothesized that the anti- Helicobacter pylori properties of phytoncide, which is extracted from pinecone waste, would facilitate use as a natural gastroprotective product to treat gastrointestinal tract disorders. Thus, we investigated in vitro antibacterial efficacy against H. pylori by agar diffusion assay. To determine the gastroprotective properties of phytoncide, we conducted hematoxylin and eosin staining, performed assays for the detection of the cytotoxin gene, and evaluated pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in H. pylori -infected C57BL/6 mice. Phytoncide significantly inhibited the survival of H. pylor i in the gastrointestinal system of C57BL/6 mice. Reduction of gastric severity in H. pylori -infected mice was associated with reductions in the expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the gastric mucosa, and of the cytotoxin CagA gene in phytoncide treated groups ( P