Title:Cranberry for Urinary Tract Infection: From Bench to Bedside
VOLUME: 17 ISSUE: 3
Author(s):Seyed Fazel Nabavi, Antoni Sureda, Maria Daglia, Morteza Izadi and Seyed Mohammad Nabavi
Affiliation:Applied Biotechnology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Keywords:Cranberry, Urinary tract infection, Antibiotics, Antimicrobial effect, Escherichia coli.
Abstract:Urinary tract infections are common infectious diseases which can occur in any part of the
urinary tract such as bladder, kidney, ureters, and urethra. They are commonly caused by bacteria that
enter through the urethra. Urinary tract infections commonly develop in the bladder and spread to renal
tissues. Up to now, there are different antimicrobial agents which have beneficial role on urinary
tract infections. However, most of them cause different adverse effects and therefore, much attention
has been paid to the search for effective therapeutic agents with negligible adverse effects. Cranberry
is known as one of the most important edible plants, which possesses potent antimicrobial effects
against the bacteria responsible for urinary tract infections. Growing evidence has shown that cranberry
suppresses urinary tract infections and eradicates the bacteria. Therefore, the aim of this study is
to critically review the available literature regarding the antimicrobial activities of cranberry against
urinary tract infection microorganisms. In addition, we discuss etiology, epidemiology, risk factors,
and current drugs of urinary tract infections to provide a more complete picture of this disease.
