Helicobacter pylori causes gastritis, peptic ulcers and gastric cancer and affects more than half of the world’s population. Although this infection can have serious consequences, no novel cure or remedy have been discovered, the present therapy still relies on a variety of known antibiotics and anti-secretory agents. In the present study, the potential effect of combinations between methanolic extracts of four Algerian medicinal plants, garlic (Allium sativum), red onion (Allium cepa), cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) and fenugreek (T. foenum-graecum L.), with different strains of lactic acid bacteria against H. pylori, was investigated. Similarly, the in vivo antibacterial effect of fenugreek extract combined with Bifidobacterium breve on H. pylori colonization potential to confirm the enhanced effect of the mixture was explored. Helicobacter pylori was inhibited by all combined mixtures of extracts and probiotics with varying results. The highest anti-H. pylori activities were found in fenugreek/B. breve, cumin/B. breve, garlic/B. breve and onion/B. breve combinations with inhibition diameters of 29, 26, 23 and 25 mm, respectively. Preliminary studies on the effect of probiotics against H. pylori revealed that the inhibition was due to lactic acid and bacteriocins and it was also related to the presence of phenolic compounds in the studied plants, such as gallic acid, caffeic acid, quercetin and vanillic acid. Fenugreek extract was found to inhibit the growth of H. pylori in a concentration-dependent manner. When H. pylori-infected rats were administered B. breve, the infection rate of H. pylori was significantly reduced, while the combination of B. breve and fenugreek extract effectively inhibited H. pylori. In addition, the B. breve and fenugreek extract mixture significantly reduced gastritis in H. pylori-infected rats. These results suggest that this complex mixture may be an alternative to treating diseases caused by H. pylori infection.

Summary: Introduction: Natural products represent a gold mine for scientists looking for compounds for the treatment of health problems and diseases with their different biological and pharmacological activities. However, recent research is focused on finding natural sources of antioxidants.Objective: The objective of current research was to determine the phytochemical profile of Algerian fenu-greek (Trigonella foenum-graecumL.), and Syrian cumin (Cuminum cyminumL.) seeds in order to characterize their phenolic compounds and to determine their antioxidant activities.Methods: Total phenolic, flavonoids, condensed and hydrolysable tannins contents were quantified using Folin-Ciocalteu, aluminium chloride, vanillin and ferric chloride methods, respectively. Phenolic compounds were identified by HPLC method and antioxidant activity was measured using DPPH assay.Results: The higher amounts of total phenolic compounds, flavonoids, condensed and hydrolysable tannins were given by fenugreek. Results of HPLC analysis of our plants showed that eight phytochemical compounds were found in cumin extract, and seven molecules in fenugreek extract. Moreover, fenugreek possessed higher antioxidant activity.Conclusion: This study confirmed that our plants are a good source of phenolic contents and possess a high antioxidant activity.

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in Algerian patients with peptic disorders and evaluate the impact of different epidemiological factors (age, sex, sampling site, presence or absence of H. pylori, and type of pathology related to this bacterium). Methods: We undertook a retrospective and descriptive study on a series of 735 symptomatic patients identified in the laboratory of pathological anatomy at Hassani Abdelkader University Hospital Center of Sidi Bel Abbes, Algeria, over a period of 16 years from January 2002 to December 2017. All patients had benefited from a high gastroscopic fibroscopy and the diagnosis was made by histological examination (hematoxylin–eosin staining). The epidemiological factors, as well as the main gastric diseases related to this bacterium, were studied. Results: The prevalence of H. pylori infection was 66.12%. The infection was more important in the age group 60–69 years (71.43%). The prevalence of H. pylori infection was statistically higher in women than in men (69.3% vs. 60.7%, p < 0.01).The antral region was most colonized by H. pylori (71.73%). In addition, the infection was associated mainly with atrophic gastritis (69.65%). Conclusion: In this context, the identification of epidemiological data would be of great value in guiding strategies to control the spread of this bacterium.