(2) Antimicrobial activity
Antibacterial: In one experiment, berberine hydrochloride reduced the cholera toxin-induced
secretion of water, sodium and chloride in perfused rat ileum. Berberine was also found to inhibit
the intestinal secretory response of Vibrio cholerae and Escherichia coli enterotoxins without
causing histological damage to the intestinal mucosa (Sack, 1982).
Berberine is also active against other intestinal infections that cause aute diarrhea such as
Shigella dysenteriae, Salmonella ParatyPhi and various Klebsiella sPecies. Berberine sulphate has
been shown to block the adherence of StrePtococcus Pyrogenes and E. coli to host cells, possibly
explaining it's mechanism of action against numerous pathogens (Sun, 1988).