Helicobacter pylori eradication rate with conventional standard
therapy is decreasing owing to antibiotic resistance, necessitating novel antibacterial strategies against H. pylori. We evaluated the efficacy of a
gentamicin-intercalated
smectite hybrid (S-GM)-based treatment and analyzed fecal microbiome composition in H. pylori-infected mice. To evaluate anti-H. pylori efficacy, mice were divided into eight groups, and H. pylori eradication was assessed by a Campylobacter-like organism (CLO) test and PCR assay of H. pylori in gastric mucosa. One week after H. pylori eradication, pro-inflammatory
cytokine levels and atrophic changes in gastric mucosa were examined. Stool specimens were collected and analyzed for microbiome changes. The S-GM-based triple regimen decreased bacterial burden in vivo, compared with that in untreated mice or mice treated with other regimens. The therapeutic reactions in the CLO test from gastric mucosa were both 90% in the standard triple
therapy and S-GM therapy group, respectively. Those of H. pylori PCR in mouse gastric mucosa were significantly lower in standard triple
therapy and S-GM
therapy groups than in the non-treatment group. Toxicity test results showed that S-GM
therapy reduced
IL-8 level and atrophic changes in gastric mucosa. Stool microbiome analysis revealed that compared with mice treated with the standard triple
therapy, mice treated with the S-GM
therapy showed microbiome diversity and abundant microorganisms at the phylum level. Our results suggested that S-GM is a promising and effective therapeutic agent against H. pylori
infection.