The present study aimed to evaluate the in vitro antimycobacterial effects of hop plant, Humulus japonicus. Methanol extract of H. japonicus (MeOH extract) showed strong direct bactericidal effects against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in vitro. Furthermore, the MeOH extract significantly inhibited M. tuberculosis growth in human macrophages. When five fractions obtained from MeOH extract were examined using the same methods, the hexane and ethyl acetate fractions showed bactericidal effects against M. tuberculosis in vitro, whereas the butanol and water fractions inhibited M. tuberculosis growth in macrophages. Because H. japonicus extract exhibited antimycobacterial activity against both free M. tuberculosis in culture medium and intracellular M. tuberculosis in human macrophages, this plant might be a good candidate for development of a new anti-tuberculosis drug.
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