Investigation of the Effect of the Extract and Essential Oil of Stachys byzantina on the Viability of Gastric Cancer AGS Cells in a Co-Culture System with Helicobacter pylori

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Hashem Yaghoubi
Haleh Mokabber
Faculty member, Islamic Azad University, Ardabil Branch
10.22034/cmr.2026.8742.3344
Abstract
Helicobacter pylori is one of the major causes of gastrointestinal ulcers and gastric cancer and plays a significant role in chronic gastric mucosal inflammation and the progression of ulcer-related diseases. After confirming the presence of H. pylori using urease and catalase tests, the methanolic extract and essential oil of the plant were obtained. Following the determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of these compounds against the bacterial strain, the viability of AGS cells in co-culture with H. pylori was assessed using the MTT assay, and antioxidant activity was evaluated using the DPPH method. One-way ANOVA was used for statistical analysis, and all experiments were performed in triplicate with a significance level of p< 0.05. The agar well diffusion assay showed that the highest antimicrobial activity of the S. byzantina extract was observed at 40 mg/ml. MIC and MBC results demonstrated that the methanolic extract inhibited H. pylori growth at 25 mg/ml but did not exhibit a complete bactericidal effect, whereas the essential oil inhibited bacterial growth at 30 µl/ml and achieved complete eradication at 60 µl/ml. MTT assay results indicated that co-culture of H. pylori and AGS cells did not significantly affect AGS cell viability. In contrast, both the extract and essential oil of S. byzantina induced a significant, dose- and time-dependent reduction in AGS cell viability, with the essential oil showing stronger cytotoxic effects. Additionally, DPPH assay results revealed that the essential oil possessed considerable antioxidant activity.
Keywords
Helicobacter pylori
co-culture
AGS cells
Stachys byzantina
essential oil
Subjects

  • Receive Date 05 December 2025
  • Revise Date 25 August 2026
  • Accept Date 29 July 2026