Background and objective: The purpose of the current investigation was to study the influences, preventive and diuretic, of Nigella sativa L. seeds oil (NSSO) on calcium oxalate (CaOx) urolithiasis induced in Wistar male rats. Methodology: Seeds of Nigella sativa L. (N.S) were analysed for the evaluation of the concentration of oxalate and calcium. Nigella sativa L. seeds oil is obtained by hydrodistillation and HPTLC densitometric method was adopted to determine the amount of thymoquinone (TQ) present. Thirty male Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups (N=6). Group I, negative control, drank tap water. The other groups were II Positive control, III, IV and V received a treatment model inducing calcium oxalate urolithiasis for 28 days, using an aqueous solution involve 0.75% (EG) ethylene glycol and 1.0 % (AC) chloride ammonium. Rats in group III received in addition, 750 mg/kg Cystone from the beginning to the end of calculi induction experimentation. However, rats in Groups IV and V received (NSSO) at 5 ml/kg b.w by gavage on days 1 st to 28 th and 15 th to 28 th days, respectively. On days 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28, body weights were measured and the 24-hour urine samples were accumulated and analysed for biochemical elements. On the 28 th day, blood samples were collected for the estimation of serum parameters including creatinine, BUN and uric acid. All animals were sacrificed at the end of the experiment and the kidneys were detached for histopathological examination. Results: Administration of (NSSO) at 5 ml/kg body weight/dose/day for 28 days exerts a protective effect by reducing significantly (p <0.01) urinary and serum rates of calcium, phosphate and oxalate. This preventive diet could increase the volume of urine excreted. Conclusion:The nephroprotectrice and diuretic activity demonstrated by Nigella sativa L. gives a scientific basis that approves their traditional use like a remedy against urolithiasis.

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In this work, we studied the individual and combined effect of inhibitors such as citrate ions and magnesium ions on crystallization of calcium oxalate. It is the main constituent of more than 70% of urinary stones. In order to optimize the number of experiments with the help of a suitable mathematical model, an experimental design was developed. The crystallization of CaC 2 O 4 with and without inhibitors, at physiological concentrations, was studied by turbidimetry at 37• C. The inhibition effect was evaluated through the induction time (nucleation) and the turbidimetrical slope (crystalline growth). The experimental design enabled the investigation of the effect of citrate ions, magnesium ions, and their combination on the inhibition rate. The obtained results showed that the inhibition power increases with inhibitor concentration when it is tested alone. This inhibition also affected the delay on nucleation. Thus, the induction time varied from 0.22 min without inhibitor to 4.73 min with citrate ions and 1.96 min with magnesium ions. The two inhibitors were more effective on nucleation and on crystalline growth when they were used in combination compared to one of them tested alone. The mathematical model fitted the experimental results well with a minimum of trials. 

Our objective is to study the interaction between calcium oxalate (CaOx) low molecular weight inhibitors such as aluminum and pyrophosphate and to analyze their effect on nucleation and crystal growth while combined two by two to citrate. At physiological concentrations, CaOx crystallization, with or without inhibitors, was studied by spectrophotometry at 620 nm. All experiments were undergone at 37 °C. A mathematical model was used in order to optimize the number of experiments. Results showed that the inhibition power increases with inhibitor concentration when the molecule is tested alone. We obtained an important inhibition reaching a maximum of 93.9% for a citrate concentration of 2.5 mM, an inhibition of 87.8% for an aluminum concentration of 0.528 mM and an inhibition of only 34% for a 0.2 mM concentration of pyrophosphate. Citrate and aluminum act on nucleation, crystal growth and aggregation, while pyrophosphate acts weakly on crystal growth. The induction time is more or less constant. Results show that at any combined citrate pyrophosphate concentration, the effects are higher than those obtained for the inhibitors taken alone. The induction time for the combined inhibitors is more important than for a single inhibitor, thus triggering delay in nucleation. The citrate-pyrophosphate combination gives a synergetic effect at any used concentrations, whereas the effect of citrate-aluminum combination depends of the used concentrations of the two inhibitors. The results allow to quantify the contribution of inhibitors in the overall inhibition. The mathematical models fitted the experimental results well with a minimum of trials

Three plants adopted by nomads at Tassili n’ajjer (south Algeria) in traditional medicine namely, Cymbopogon schoenanthus, Anabasis articulata and Salvia chudaei, were analysed for theirs antibacterial, antibiofilm and antioxidant properties. Total flavonoid and phenolic contents were measured with 2% AlCl3 and Folin-Ciocalteu’s reagent method, respectively. The antibacterial propertie was investigated by measurement of MIC of plants extract inhibing bacterial proliferation. The antibiofilm propertie was calculated by fluorescent quantization of the DAPI labeled bacterial biomass fixed on the surface and by COMSTAT analysis of confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM) images. DPPH radical scavenging and β-carotene/linoleate bleaching methods were used to determine the antioxidant activities of the plants. Total phenolic content was ranged from 21.98 to 2.51 (gallic acid equivalents mg/g methanolic extracts) and the total flavonoid content ranged from 19.27 to 1.65 (catechin equivalent mg/g methanolic extracts). Antibacterial activity against four Gram positive bacteria was shown with plants extracts. The biofilm inhibition concentration of extracts decreasing 50% of biofilm cell density (BIC50) for Salvia chudaei and Cymbopogon schoenanthus extracts ranges from 1 to 10 µg/mL. CSLM images analysis revealed that both surface covering by germ and three dimensional development of the biofilm were reduced with plants extracts. For antioxidant activities, the methanol extracts of the plants evaluated showed low antioxidant activity, with a IC50 between 1.94 and 6.16 mg/ml. Thus, Our systematic research showed that this three common plants of Sahara desert has diversified phytochemicals possessing satisfying extent of antimicrobial, antibiofilm and antioxidant activities.