Therapeutic Effects of Oral Application of Menthol and Extracts from Tormentil (<i>Potentilla erecta</i>), Raspberry Leaves (<i>Rubus idaeus</i>), and Loosestrife (<i>Lythrum salicaria</i>) during Acute Murine Campylobacteriosis

• Main Authors: Rasmus Bandick (Author), Lia V. Busmann (Author), Soraya Mousavi (Author), Nizar W. Shayya (Author), Jakub P. Piwowarski (Author), Sebastian Granica (Author), Matthias F. Melzig (Author), Stefan Bereswill (Author), Markus M. Heimesaat (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: MDPI AG, 2023-10-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15102410; 1999-4923
• Keywords: tormentil (<i>Potentilla erecta</i>); raspberry leaves (<i>Rubus idaeus</i>); loosestrife (<i>Lythrum salicaria</i>); menthol; plant-derived compounds; <i>Campylobacter jejuni</i>; Pharmacy and materia medica; RS1-441
• Source: Pharmaceutics, Vol 15, Iss 10, p 2410 (2023)

Human food-borne infections with the enteropathogen <i>Campylobacter jejuni</i> are becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide. Since antibiotics are usually not indicated in campylobacteriosis, alternative treatment regimens are important. We here investigated potential disease-alleviating effects of menthol and of extracts from tormentil, raspberry leaves, and loosestrife in acute murine campylobacteriosis. Therefore, <i>C. jejuni</i>-infected microbiota-depleted IL-10^−/− mice were orally treated with the compounds alone or all in combination from day 2 until day 6 post-infection. Whereas neither treatment regimen affected gastrointestinal pathogen loads, the combination of compounds alleviated <i>C. jejuni</i>-induced diarrheal symptoms in diseased mice on day 6 post-infection. Furthermore, the therapeutic application of tormentil and menthol alone and the combination of the four compounds resulted in lower colonic T cell numbers in infected mice when compared to placebo counterparts. Notably, pro-inflammatory cytokines measured in mesenteric lymph nodes taken from <i>C. jejuni</i>-infected mice following tormentil, menthol, and combination treatment did not differ from basal concentrations. However, neither treatment regimen could dampen extra-intestinal immune responses, including systemic pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion on day 6 post-infection. In conclusion, the combination of menthol and of extracts from tormentil, raspberry leaves, and loosestrife constitutes an antibiotic-independent approach to alleviate campylobacteriosis symptoms.