Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Eradication failures are increasing with the increasing antibiotic resistance of Helicobacter pylori.We examined the basic effect of methylene blue (MB) with sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO(3)) on H. pylori eradication using antimicrobial chemotherapy activated by light. MATERIAL AND METHODS: When NaHCO(3) was added to MB, the pH became basic. We smeared H. pylori on a medium with basic MB and irradiated it using a red light-emitting diode with a wavelength of 660 nm. The applied energy fluencies were 10 J/cm(2) and 15 J/cm(2). After 4 days of culture, the effect of this intervention was determined according to the bacterial growth area. RESULTS: The basic effect of MB appeared between a pH of 8.6 and 9.0. The NaHCO(3) concentration was between 4% and 6%. The basic effect at 15 J/cm(2) was greater than that at 10 J/cm(2). CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that antimicrobial chemotherapy activated by light with basic MB was effective in H. pylori eradication.