Fractionations and analysis of trunk exudates from pistacia genus in relation to antimicrobial activity

H. pylori is one of the most significant discoveries in gastroenterology in the past century. It is associated with a wide range of gastroduodenal pathologies and gastric cancer. Antibiotic resistance in H. pylori has emerged as a significant clinical problem. The body of work contained within this dissertation was carried out to investigate an alternative therapy based on observations of the traditional therapy for gastric disease in the Middle East. One of these traditional therapies centres on plants belonging to the Pistacia genus. This study represents the first reported investigation into the composition and biological activity of the trunk bark exudates of Pistacia atlantica Kurdic (P. a. Kurdica), Pistacia atlantica Mutica (P. a. Mutica) and Pistacia atlantica Cabolica (P. a. Cabolica), resinous gums that have been termed here ‘Kurdica Gum’, ‘Mutica Gum ’ and ‘Cabolica Gum ’ respectively. The antimicrobial screening of the trunk exudates of the genus Pistacia led to the characterization of the most active fraction of the Kurdica gum. This fraction was subsequently subjected to sub-fractionation leading to the discovery of fundamentally new information that went beyond H. pylori, expanding the original parameters of the project. The extent of these findings suggests that new classes of antibiotics might have been discovered. Primary studies on their structure and potential mechanism of action has been undertaken. Thirteen novel antimicrobial agents were identified. Based on the characteristics of these isolated fractions, 50 new compounds were modelled; of which 30 hypothetically have an MIC consistent with contemporary antibiotics and could represent viable lead compounds for commercial development