Antimicrobial Activity of the Essential oil of Thymus capitatus against Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) is an infective agent and the main resourceful factor of chronic, active type B gastritis, peptic and duodenal ulcer, gastric carcinoma and mucosa-associated lymphoid tumors. Nowadays, pharmcological treatment of H. pylori infections attracts attention besides antibiotic treatment. The aim of this study is to analyse the chemical composition of the essential oils of Thymus capitatus and the antimicrobial activity against H. pylori. Aerial parts of wild-growing plant materials were collected during the flowering stage from three different locations. Essential oil composition analyses were performed simultaneously by GC-FID and GC-MS systems. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oil was tested by broth dilution method. The thymol percentage was determined as more than half of the essential oil composition of Thymus capitatus-Yedidalga (51.9%) and Thymus capitatus-Yildirim (57.1%); however, the composition of thymol was 47.2% followed by 15.1% (p-cymene), 10.0% (gamma-terpinene) and 5.7% (carvacrol) for Thymus capitatus-Bogaz/Girne. The essential oil from Thymus capitatus-Bogaz/Girne showed the lowest MIC and MBC values and the strongest bactericidal activity against H. pylori compared to the other tested essential oils. Bactericidal efficacy of essential oil of Thymus capitatus on H. pylori could have been affected due to the varied rates of major compounds. Thymus capitatus essential oil could be an alternative way for the treatment of H. pylori infections.