Antibacterial and Antifungal Activity of Soft Tissue Extracted from Ariophanta bistrialis Snail

Abstract

Molluscs are a diverse group of species that have been recognized for their valuable contributions to pharmacology. These organisms are known to be important natural sources of novel bioactive compounds that have shown potential in various medicinal applications. Among these land snails are notable for their nutritional and medicinal uses. Land snails are not only a good source of protein but also play a significant role in traditional medicine. Moreover, different components from land snails exhibit antimicrobial activities. In this study, the soft tissue of extracts of acetic acid, methanol and chloroform was evaluated for antibacterial and antifungal properties. The antibacterial activity of Ariophanta bistrialis was tested against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus and Salmonella typhi. The antibacterial and antifungal properties were evaluated using the agar well diffusion technique.  Significant differences were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Differences at p < 0.05 were considered significant. Acetic acid extracts showed maximum inhibition against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Bacillus cereus (13 and 12 mm). Ariophanta bistrialis soft tissue extracts exhibited antifungal activity against Aspergillus flavus, and Aspergillus niger Aspergillus terreus. This study shows that the soft tissue of the snail Ariophanta bistrialis possesses antimicrobial compounds and can be used as a promising antimicrobial agent. The positive control, gatifloxacin, exhibited effective inhibition across all tested bacteria, particularly against Klebsiella pneumoniae (10 mm) and Salmonella typhi (10 mm), validating the reliability of the antimicrobial assay. In contrast, the solvent control (DMSO) did not show any zones of inhibition, confirming that the antimicrobial activity observed in the test samples was attributable to the snail tissue extracts and not to the solvents used. The results encourage further investigation of Ariophanta bistrialis as a potential source of bioactive compounds for applications in biomedical research.