Iranian Journal of War and Public Health

en In Vitro Antimicrobial Activity of Date Seed Extract against a Multidrug-Resistant Clinical Isolate of Helicobacter pylori سلامت جانبازان يا معلولان Veterans or Handicapped Health پژوهشی اصيل Original Research Aims: This study evaluated the in vitro antibacterial activity of date seed extract against a multidrug-resistant clinical isolate of Helicobacter pylori. Materials & Methods: This in vitro experimental study was conducted from October 2024 to March 2025 at the Medical Microbiology Laboratory, Al-Manara University, Iraq. A multidrug-resistant clinical isolate of Helicobacter pylori was recovered from a gastric biopsy specimen obtained from a patient with dyspepsia and identified using conventional microbiological tests and polymerase chain reaction amplification of the cagA virulence gene. Ethanolic date seed extract was prepared under standardized laboratory conditions. The extract’s phytochemical profile was characterized using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis. Antibacterial activity was evaluated using the agar well diffusion assay, and the minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration were determined using the resazurin microdilution assay and subsequent subculture, respectively. Findings: Phytochemical profiling identified 18 major bioactive compounds in the ethanolic extract of Phoenix dactylifera seeds, primarily proanthocyanidins, flavonoid glycosides, catechins, and hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives. Proanthocyanidin tetramer was the predominant constituent. The extract exhibited pronounced antibacterial activity against the multidrug-resistant Helicobacter pylori isolate, producing an inhibition zone of 32.0±0.2mm. The minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration values were 15.6±0.5μg/mL and 31.2±0.3μg/mL, respectively. The observed antimicrobial activity is likely attributable to the synergistic effects of the identified polyphenolic constituents, which may interfere with bacterial membrane integrity and essential cellular processes. Conclusion: The ethanolic extract of Phoenix dactylifera seeds shows promising in vitro antibacterial activity against a multidrug-resistant clinical isolate of Helicobacter pylori. Helicobacter pylori, Phoenix dactylifera, Multidrug Resistance, Phytochemicals, Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) 309 316 http://ijwph.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-2443-2&slc_lang=en&sid=1 M.J. Qasim Yes Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Manara, Amara, Iraq A.F. Hassan No Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Manara, Amara, Iraq M.B. Mahmoud No Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Manara, Amara, Iraq A.M. Alewi No Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Misan, Amara, Iraq E.A.K. Kanani No Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Manara, Amara, Iraq M.A. Nama No Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Nursing, University of Misan, Amara, Iraq W.W. Al-Hamadi No Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Manara, Amara, Iraq M.F. Jabbar No Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Manara, Amara, Iraq