Probiotic Yogurt Formulated with Nettle (Urtica Dioica) Extract, a Compound with Dual Functionalities: Bifidobacterium Growth Promoter and Helicobacter Pylori Growth Inhibitor

Abstract

Helicobacter infection is one of the gastrointestinal diseases, which is usually treated with antibiotics and chemical medicine. These treatments suffer from antibiotic resistance. Thus, this study provides a solution using nettle (Urtica Dioica) extract along with Bifidobacterium (BF). The main challenge is transferring these two compounds to the environment containing Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) such as stomach. The interaction between the nettle extract and BF and also with H. pylori were studied regarding the inhibition zone diameter, viability of probiotics, pH and acidity changes at three different time intervals (1, 11, and 21 days). Results revealed that the samples containing the nettle extract showed bigger inhibition zone and consequently were more effective in preventing the growth of H. pylori. Furthermore, the nettle extract was enhanced the BF activity resulting in production of more antimicrobial metabolites. The alcoholic extract of nettle provided better inhibition properties than the aqueous extract. The formulated yogurts in this study could pave a new way in bringing new treatments for who suffers from Helicobacter infection induced gastrointestinal diseases.