Abstract: The inhibition of curcumin on Helicobacter pylori (Hp) and its effect on GES-1 cell injury induced by Hp were investigated. The bacteriostatic tests showed that curcumin significantly inhibited Hp proliferation with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 200 μmol/L. Moreover, curcumin showed an obvious inhibitory effect on the urease activity of Hp with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50 ) of 1.735 mmol/L as determined using jack bean urease model based on Berthelot reaction. The effect of curcumin on normal and Hp-infected GES-l cells was studied by using the MTT method. Curcumin could inhibit human gastric epithelial GES-1 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner except for treatment for 12 h at a concentration of 68 μmol/L. After treatment with curcumin at 68 μmol/L for 12 h, the morphology of the cell injury model, infected with Hp for 24 h, was slightly restored, and the survival rate slightly increased (P > 0.05). But the survival rate significantly decreased after treatment with curcumin at 136 or 680 μmol/L. Thus, the inhibition of curcumin on the viability and urease activity of Hp is not sufficient to help repair Hp-induced damage in GES-1 cells.

Key words: curcumin, Helicobacter pylori, urease, GES-1 cells