Molecules (Aug 2021)

Design of Liposomes Carrying HelixComplex Snail Mucus: Preliminary Studies

  • Andrea Alogna,
  • Valentina Gentili,
  • Claudio Trapella,
  • Supandeep Singh Hallan,
  • Maddalena Sguizzato,
  • Giovanni Strazzabosco,
  • Mercedes Fernández,
  • Rita Cortesi,
  • Roberta Rizzo,
  • Daria Bortolotti

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26164709
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 26, no. 16
p. 4709

Abstract

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In recent decades liposomes have been used in different field thanks to their ability to act as a vehicle for a wide range of biomolecules, their great versatility and their easy production. The aim of this study was to evaluate liposomes as a vehicle for the actives present in the HelixComplex (HC) snail mucus for topical delivery. Liposomes composed of a mixture of phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol and octadecylamine were prepared with and without HC (empty liposomes) and their biological efficacy was tested by evaluating cell viability and migration. HC-loaded liposomes (LHC) were stable throughout 60 days of observation, and showed interesting effects on wound healing reconstitution. In particular, we observed that 25 µg/mL LHC were already able to induce a higher cell monolayer reconstitution in comparison to the untreated samples and HC treated samples after only 4 h (28% versus 10% and 7%, p = 0.03 and p= 0.003, respectively). The effect was more evident at 24 h in comparison with the untreated control (54% versus 21.2% and 41.6%, p = 0.006 and p = NS, respectively). These results represent a preliminary, but promising, novelty in the delivery strategy of the actives present in the HelixComplex mucus.

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