Snail Mucus from Achatina fulica as a Biomaterial Exhibits Pro-Survival Effects on Human Chondrocytes

Abstract

This study reports the novel use of Achatina fulica (A. fulica) mucus as a potential therapeutic repair agent in osteoarthritis and cartilage tissue repair in vitro. Snail mucus was isolated, sterilized, and characterized using FTIR, XPS, rheology, and LC−MS/MS. The GAGs, sugar, phenol, and protein contents were estimated using standard assays. The LC−MS/MS identified 6-gingerol and some other small molecules. The effects of the sterilized mucus were studied on human chondrocytes using the C28/I2 cell as a model for the in vitro assays. The MTT assay indicates that mucus extracted from the pedal of A. fulica is biocompatible with the cells up to a concentration of 50 μg/mL. The mucus promoted cell migration and proliferation and completely closed the wound within 72 h, as indicated in the in vitro scratch assay. In addition, the snail mucus reduced apoptosis significantly (p < 0.05) in the treated cells by 74.6%. It preserved the cytoskeletal integrity of the C28/I2 cells, attributed mainly to GAGs and 6-gingerol content of the mucus. In conclusion, this present study suggests that GAGs and 6-gingerol conferred wound-healing and antiapoptotic properties on the mucus secretion from A. fulica and can be explored for therapeutic repair and cartilage tissue engineering.

Snail Mucus-Enhanced Adhesion of Human Chondrocytes on 3D Porous Agarose Scaffolds

“…This suggests that the extracts from all of the scaffolds promoted cell proliferation and were biocompatible with the cells for the duration of the study. A previous study from our group and the report of Trapella et al established that snail mucus is a complex substance containing constituents such as allantoin, amino acids, GAGs, sugars, and many others. , These constituents could have contributed to the blend scaffolds’ biocompatibility with C28/I2 cells.…”

“…Furthermore, our previous study showed that SMu contains GAGs and other substances, contributing to its bioactive and therapeutic properties . Other authors have also reported that gastropod mucus contains GAGs, proteins, and other bioactive substances, ,,, which would have contributed to the cell adhesion observed on the AG50SMu and AG75SMu composite scaffolds.…”

“…Snail mucus was extracted, purified, and sterilized according to the procedure described in our previous work and is called SMu hereafter. 2.5 wt % of agarose solution was prepared by adding 1.25 g of agarose to 50 mL of DI water, followed by boiling at 95 °C under stirring until agarose completely dissolved, and a clear solution was formed.…”

“…fulica) were attributed to the GAGs. The snail mucus significantly demonstrated antiapoptotic and wound repair effects on the human chondrocytes (C28/I2) in vitro . Also, Perpelek et al.…”

Gastropod Mucus: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Biological Activities, Applications, and Strategic Priorities

“…Composite hydrogels fabricated from snail mucus blended with chitosan demonstrate tunable degradation and cytocompatibility, along with enlarged pore size and swelling capacity compared to pure chitosan films. − Human chondrocyte assays reveal that mucus-chitosan hydrogels support cartilage cell viability and differentiation through the release of stimulatory glycosaminoglycans and metabolites . Novel gradient chitosan scaffolds with bioactive H. aspersa mucus and slime extract also show potential for osteochondral tissue regeneration, significantly increasing the synthesis of extracellular matrix components for tissue regeneration and biomineralization in osteoblast and cartilage model cell lines .…”