NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Forskolin, a herbal product found in health food stores, may help reduce bothersome urinary tract infections, Duke University doctors have found.
Their studies also suggest that forskolin, derived from the Indian coleus plant, may boost the ability of antibiotics to kill E. coli -- the bacteria responsible for 90 percent of bladder infections.
Duke microbiologist Dr. Soman N. Abraham and colleagues also think they may have figured out why bladder infections often return after antibiotic treatment.
In studies in mice, they found that E. coli bacteria hide in cells lining the bladder, out of reach of antibiotics. However, when the researchers injected forskolin directly into the bladder or administered it intravenously, it appeared to expel more than 75 percent of "hiding" E. coli, rendering it susceptible to antibiotics.
Abraham and colleagues report their research in the current issue of the journal Nature Medicine.
The lining of the bladder, which is highly impenetrable, contains special pouch-like structures that let it expand as it fills with urine, Abraham explains in a university-issued statement. However, when infected, the pouches can create tiny alcoves where some "opportunistic" bacteria can slip in and hide.
While customary antibiotic treatment kills the vast majority of the bacteria, according to Abraham, small numbers of bacteria may survive the antibiotic bath by sneaking into the lining of the bladder. There they lie in wait until the opportune moment, after antibiotic treatment, to come out and start multiplying again.
By revving up cellular activity, forskolin helps flush out bacteria from their niches and into the urine, where they can be killed by antibiotics.
"This herb has been used in Asia for centuries for a wide variety of ailments," including painful urination, Abraham said. Forskolin "may prove to be beneficial for patients with recurrent urinary tract infections," but Abraham cautions that more study is needed and recommends that anyone with a bladder infection see a doctor before trying forskolin.
