In vitro growth-inhibitory effects of Portulaca oleracea L. formulation on intestinal pathogens

Empirical evidence suggests that L. treats enteric infections, including dysentery, cholera, and acute infectious gastroenteritis. The aim of this study is to clarify the growth-inhibitory effects of L. extract against 56 strains of intestinal pathogens. 'Gogyo-so-cha (GSC)' was used as the L. formulation. A growth curve analysis was used to measure the growth-inhibitory effects of GSC, and Shiga toxin induction was measured using the latex agglutination test. GSC demonstrated strong bactericidal effects against and strains from various isolates. GSC demonstrated weak or no bactericidal effects against intestinal commensal bacteria, including spp. and . GSC did not induce toxins. GSC significantly inhibited the growth of intestinal pathogens, including and , without adversely affecting the intestinal flora, supporting the usage of GSC in traditional Chinese medicine. Taken together, GSC would be of immense value in the developing world, where diarrhoeal infectious diseases continue to pose a major health risk.