Sana Besnaci’s scientific contributions

Introduction: Living organisms inhabiting soil are exposed to various fluctuations in abiotic factors, as well as chemical contamination of the environment due to anthropogenic activities. Consequently, these organisms have to cope with multiple disturbances. Small particles, especially nanoparticles, are increasingly incorporated into everyday consumer products and may even exist in the environment. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the toxic effects of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) and microparticles (MPs) on Helix aspersa, a pollution bioindicator, and compare their effects Methods: The treatment involved the oral administration of increasing doses (1 mg/g, 2 mg/g, and 3 mg/g) of nano-TiO2 and micro-TiO2 in the diet for four weeks. The hepatopancreas was used to analyze variations through the exchange of primary metabolites (carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins) and histological modifications. Results: The results indicated that both treatments caused a disruption of primary metabolite metabolism with a decrease in total carbohydrates and lipids, and an increase in total proteins. The increase in protein levels was higher in those treated with micro-TiO2. The histological study revealed that TiO2 NPs and MPs induced dose-dependent very serious tissue damage, including necrosis, degeneration of connective tissue and tubular membranes, inflammations, inflammatory infiltrates, and lysis of different tubular cells. Conclusions: Although the effects of nanoparticles are more pronounced than those of microparticles, it can be concluded that metal oxides are toxic substances that can induce metabolic disturbances, and their accumulation may lead to tissue damage.

Objective. Honey is an extremely promising agent in the treatment of infected wounds of burned patients. This study aims to evaluate the antibacterial activity of 14 Algerian honey samples in comparison to Manuka honey towards pathogenic bacteria isolated from burn wound infections. Methods. The antibacterial effect of 14 Algerian honey samples and the Manuka honey was assessed against six multidrug-resistant bacteria: Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, and Enterococcus faecalis. Well agar diffusion, microdilution broth assay, and time-kill assay were used to evaluate the effects of honey samples on the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Results. The results obtained show that all tested honey samples have good antibacterial effects and there is no significant difference between Algerian honey samples and Manuka honey, except honey samples H12 and H13. The Gram-positive bacteria were more susceptible to honey samples than Gram-negative bacteria. The inhibitory diameters were between 14 to 38 mm for Gram-positive bacteria and from 8 to 28 mm for Gram-negative bacteria. The minimal inhibitory concentration of Algerian honey was between 5 and 80% (v/v) and minimal bactericidal concentration was between 10 and 80 % (v/v). However, the minimal inhibitory concentration of Manuka honey was between 5 and 40% (v/v) and minimal bactericidal concentration was between 10 and 80% (v/v). The MBC/MIC ratio was from 1 to 2, which proves that both Algeria honeys and Manuka honey have a bactericidal effect rather than a bacteriostatic effect. A time-kill assay showed that the inhibition effect of honey samples started after the first 3 hours of incubation. Honey samples 3 and 7 inhibited the growth of S. aureus and S. saprophyticus in 15 hours; however, they inhibited the growth of the other pathogenic bacteria in 18 hours. Conclusions. This study proposes honey as an extremely promising treatment against multidrug-resistant bacteria from burn infections.

Since ancient times, honey has been successfully used for the treatment of several infectious diseases. The objective of this review is to evaluate the different methods used in the evaluation of the antibacterial activity of honey. Several bioassays, such as disk diffusion method, well diffusion method, and broth or agar dilution method are commonly used as they do not require specific equipment. This article reviews the simple and efficient methods to evaluate the antibacterial activity of honey or any other products, such as new synthetic substances (antibiotics) or extracts of medicinal plants, essential oils, or microorganisms producing antibacterial substances.

The mucus of snails is known for its high content of bioactive substances, which can be effective in the treatment of infected wounds. The objective of this study is to evaluate the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activity of three extracts of Helix aspersa mucus. The evaluation of the antibacterial activity of mucus extracts was carried out against three Gram-negative bacteria isolated from infected wounds using the well diffusion method, the microdilution for the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) determination, and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) determination. The anti-inflammatory activity was carried out using albumin denaturation inhibition and the human red blood cell membrane stabilization methods. The results obtained showed that snail mucus extracts possess an inhibitory effect on the growth and viability of Gram-negative bacteria. The inhibitory diameters ranged between 09.33±1.11 and 12.00±0.77 mm, the MIC was 25 % (v/v), and the MBC ranged between 25 and 50 % (v/v). The minimum bactericidal concentrations/minimum inhibitory concentrations (MBC/MIC) ratios indicate that snail mucus possesses a bacterial effect on Gram-negative bacteria. Furthermore, snail mucus possesses an anti-inflammatory effect through the inhibition of protein denaturation and membrane stabilization. The results obtained from this study encourage the use of Helix aspersa mucus in clinical practice as an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agent in the treatment of infected wounds.

This study aims to evaluate the antibacterial and antimutagenic effects of honey samples produced by the Apis mellifera bee and their correlation with polyphenolic content, flavonoids, and color. Five multiflora honey samples from different floral and geographical origins were investigated for their composition in total polyphenolic content, flavonoids, and color intensity. The antibacterial effect was carried out using well diffusion and micro dilutions assays. The antimutagenic effect of honey was determined using the AMES assay using three Salmonella typhimurium tester strains. The results obtained showed that honey samples are high in total polyphenolic content and flavonoids. However, honey sample 5 has the highest concentrations of total polyphenolic content and flavonoids (307 μg of GAE/mg of honey). All honey samples exhibited a good antibacterial effect against pathogenic bacteria. The inhibitory diameters varied between 11.4 to 38.1 mm. Both the MIC and MBC values ranged from 2.5 to 80 (%v/v). The evaluation of the antimutagenic effect showed that honey samples have a good antimutagenic effect. There is a strong correlation between the antibacterial, and antimutagenic effects and the composition of honey in total polyphenolic content and flavonoids

In this study, seven Algerian honey samples were assessed for their antibacterial activity on the growth, viability, and biofilm formation of clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from infected wounds. The evaluation of the antibacterial activity of honey samples was determined by both well assay and micro-broth dilution assay. The effect of honey samples on the viability of P. aeruginosa was evaluated by a time-kill assay. The antibiofilm effect was performed by using 96-well plates. The results revealed that Algerian honey exhibit an antibacterial effect against P. aeruginosa. The inhibitory diameters ranged from 14.97± 3.88mm to 27.98 ± 3.19mm. Minimum inhibitory

The effects of harmful mixtures on living organisms are of greater importance due to ex -posure of these complex mixtures of contaminants in the environment. As nanoparticles(NPs) released can potentially interact with many pollutants, and even other NPs in thisstudy, adult Cornu aspersum (Müller, 1774) (Gastropoda Helicidae) were used to estimatea mixture effect of two NPs “Fe 2O3 and ZnO” on the exchange of metabolites (carbohy -drates, lipids, and proteins), and some oxidative stress biomarkers: Glutathione (GSH),Glutathione-S-Transferase (GST), Catalase (Cat), and by performing hepatopancreas his -tological sections of this gastropod after four weeks of treatment. During this period, snailshave ingested wheat flour containing the powder of this mixture at doses of 0, 1, 2, and 3mg/g of wheat flour. The biochemical assays of metabolites reveal disturbances in metab-olism by increasing the protein content and decreasing lipid and carbohydrate levels. Thedecrease of GSH level, GST activity, and Cat activity proves that failure of the detoxifica-tion system triggers oxidative stress. The histological study confirms the biochemical resultsby the tissue lesions, which are very serious, and in a surprisingly dependent dose mannerwith inflammations, necrosis, hypertrophies, degeneration of the connective tissue, and tu-bular membranes (PDF) Toxicity assessment of a binary nanometric mixture (ZnO/Fe2O3) in Cornu aspersum (Müller, 1774) (Gastropoda Helicidae). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/364456107_Toxicity_assessment_of_a_binary_nanometric_mixture_ZnOFe2O3_in_Cornu_aspersum_Muller_1774_Gastropoda_Helicidae [accessed Feb 26 2025].

The objective of this study is to determine the antimutagenic effect of honey and its correlation with the concentration of the total polyphenolic content. Seven honey samples were collected from different regions of Algeria. The total polyphenolic content was determined by Folin-Ciocalteu colorimetric assay. The antimutagenic effect was carried out by the AMES Salmonella/ microsome mutagenicity assay against three known mutagenic substances (4-nitro-o-phenylenediamine, sodium azide, and mitomycin C), using Salmonella typhimurium TA98, TA100, and TA102 strains. The results obtained revealed that Algerian honey contains high polyphenol content, which varied significantly between 38.04 and 286.28 µg of GAE/100 mg of honey. This variation is due to their different botanical and regional origins. In addition, all tested honey exhibited an antimutagenic effect against mutagenic substances; honey is effective to inhibit between 29.18±11.11 % and 73.14±11.14 % of mutagenic activity of chemical substances. There is a strong positive correlation between the total polyphenolic content and the antimutagenic proprieties of honey against the mutagenic substances. The results obtained suggest that honey is effective as an antimutagenic agent; it can play an important role in the protection of the mutagenic effect of DNA caused by chemical substances

Dans cette étude nous nous sommes intéressés à l’évaluation de l’impact des nanoparticules de silice fumée (SiO2) sur un organisme bioaccumulateur, bioindicateur de pollution de l’environnement et un indicateur d’état sanitaire des sols, le gastéropode Helix aspersa suite à une exposition via la nourriture. La toxicité des NPs de silice est déterminée chez l'escargot Helix aspersa grâce aux expérimentations réalisées au sein du laboratoire sur des escargots partagés en quatre lots : un lot considéré comme témoin et trois autres traités par des doses croissantes de nanoparticules de silice fumée de 250, 500 et 750 µg/g de nourriture (farine de blé) pendant quatre semaines. Le stress oxydatif a été évalué par le biais d’un suivi de l’activité de certains biomarqueurs biochimiques et enzymatiques : GSH, GST, GPx et CAT dans les tissus hépatopancréatiques et rénaux et un dosage des protéines totales a également été effectué. Les résultats obtenus montrent que la présence des nanoparticules de silice dans la nourriture de H. aspersa provoque des modifications des paramètres testés dont une augmentation du taux des protéines totales. Nos données révèlent une diminution du taux du GSH ainsi que de l’activité de la CAT et de la GPx, parallèlement à l’observation d’une augmentation de l’activité de la GST au niveau de l’hépatopancréas et du rein. Les perturbations notées sont relativement plus significatives au niveau de l’hépatopancréas qu’au niveau du rein. Nos résultats montrent un état de stress oxydatif chez H. aspersa exprimé par le déclenchement du système de lutte contre le stress oxydatif à travers les biomarqueurs de cette réaction métabolique.