Identification of self-growth-inhibiting compounds lauric acid and 7-(Z)-tetradecenoic acid from Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacter pylori growth medium is usually supplemented with horse serum (HS) or FCS. However, cyclodextrin derivatives or activated charcoal can replace serum. In this study, we purified self-growth-inhibiting (SGI) compounds from H. pylori growth medium. The compounds were recovered from porous resin, Diaion HP-20, which was added to the H. pylori growth medium instead of known supplements. These SGI compounds were also identified from 2,6-di-O-methyl-β-cyclodextrin, which was supplemented in a pleuropneumonia-like organisms broth. The growth-inhibiting compounds were identified as lauric acid (LA) and 7-(Z)-tetradecenoic acid [7-(Z)-TDA]. Although several fatty acids had been identified in H. pylori, these specific compounds were not previously found in this species. However, we confirmed that these fatty acids were universally present in the cultivation medium of the H. pylori strains examined in this study. A live/dead assay carried out without HS indicated that these compounds were bacteriostatic; however, no significant growth-inhibiting effect was observed against other tested bacterial species that constituted the indigenous bacterial flora. These findings suggested that LA and 7-(Z)-TDA might play important roles in the survival of H. pylori in human stomach epithelial cells.