Exploring the Potential Anti-Inflammatory and Wound-Healing Proprieties of <i>Cepaea hortensis</i> Snail Mucin
Fatima Errajouani,
Hanane Bakrim,
Sohaib Hourfane,
Adnane Louajri,
João Miguel Rocha,
Noureddine El Aouad,
Amin Laglaoui
Affiliations
Fatima Errajouani
Biosciences, Environment and Health Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences—Tetouan, University Abdelmalek Essaâdi, Tetouan 93000, Morocco
Hanane Bakrim
Biotechnology and Biomolecules Engineering Research Team (BBERT), Faculty of Science and Technology—Tangier, University Abdelmalik Essaâdi, Tetouan 93000, Morocco
Sohaib Hourfane
Laboratory of Life and Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Route de Rabat km 15 Gzenaya BP 365 Tanger, University Abdelmalek Essaâdi, Tetouan 9300, Morocco
Adnane Louajri
Biosciences, Environment and Health Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences—Tetouan, University Abdelmalek Essaâdi, Tetouan 93000, Morocco
João Miguel Rocha
Universidade Católica Portuguesa, CBQF—Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina—Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Rua Diogo Botelho 1327, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal
Noureddine El Aouad
Laboratory of Life and Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Route de Rabat km 15 Gzenaya BP 365 Tanger, University Abdelmalek Essaâdi, Tetouan 9300, Morocco
Amin Laglaoui
Biotechnology and Biomolecules Engineering Research Team (BBERT), Faculty of Science and Technology—Tangier, University Abdelmalik Essaâdi, Tetouan 93000, Morocco
Long before its popularization as a skincare ingredient, snail slime was reported to have a variety of health-promoting attributes. Its medicinal use involved the treatment of ailments, such as anthrax, hernias, stomach pain, chest pain, as well as tuberculosis. The main aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties of snail slime from Cepaea hortensis (Müller, 1774) (brown garden snail). The slime was extracted by a mild method, and the anti-inflammatory characteristics were determined by croton-oil-induced mouse-ear edema. The histological study showed that the snail slime exerts its action at the level of inflammatory mediators, explaining the drastic decrease of edema (59% in comparison to the 47% of indomethacin). The daily application of 50 µL (15 mg/kg) of snail slime on excision wounds in rabbits proved to induce an almost full tissue repair after 24 days of treatment (87.80–92.7% wound closure in width and length, respectively). Analysis of the slime’s safety aspect allowed affirming the nontoxicity of snail slime on both the skin and eyes.
