Abu-Qatouseh Luay F, Ahmad Mohammad I A, Amorim Célia G, Al-Adham Ibrahim S I, Collier Phillip J, Montenegro Maria C B S M
Faculty of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of Petra, 11196 Amman, Jordan.
Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences, Al-Ahliyya Amman University, 19328 Amman, Jordan.
J Appl Microbiol. 2025 May 2;136(5). doi: 10.1093/jambio/lxaf112.
Natural compounds have gained attention as potential alternatives or adjuvants to antibiotics against several pathogens. Ferulic acid, a natural plant product, has demonstrated promising antimicrobial properties against a wide range of microorganisms. This paper aims to characterize the molecular mechanism underlying the potential inhibitory effects of ferulic acid on Helicobacter pylori.
The impact of ferulic acid on the growth and expression of genes associated with urease enzyme, flagellar and motility, acid stability, toxin production, and quorum sensing in H. pylori using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was investigated. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of ferulic acid were 167.7 ± 58.9 µg mL-1 and 250 µg mL-1, respectively. Exposure of H. pylori to 0.1% ferulic acid revealed strong induction of the regulatory genes hup and rpoN transcription factors and fliA flagellar regulatory factor and the cytotoxin genes cagA and vacA.
Results confirm the potent anti-Helicobacter pylori activity of ferulic acid affecting the expression of genes of its virulence factors, metabolism, and quorum sensing.
