In vitro screening of lactobacilli with antagonistic activity against Helicobacter pylori from traditionally fermented foods

Helicobacter pylori may cause stomach diseases such as chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, and gastric cancer, and several studies reported that lactobacilli have inhibitory effects on H. pylori. In this study, 38 Lactobacillus strains were screened for anti-H. pylori activity using in vitro methods, including survivability under the simulated gastric conditions, agar plate diffusion, urease activity, coaggregation, autoaggregation, and hydrocarbon analysis. The results indicate that 2 Lactobacillus strains showed potential anti-H. pylori activity in vitro. Lactobacillus plantarum 18 had the largest zone of inhibition and markedly reduced the urease activity of H. pylori. Lactobacillus gasseri Chen had higher coaggregation rate (58.15%) and hydrophobicity (59.27%) compared with the other strains. Further research is needed to verify the activities of these strains against H. pylori.