Extraction, structure, pharmacological activities and applications of polysaccharides and proteins isolated from snail mucus

Abstract

Snail mucus had medical applications for wound healing as early as ancient Greece and the late Han Dynasty (China). A literature search found 165 modern research papers discussing the extraction methods, chemical compositions, pharmacological activities, and applications of snail mucus. Thus, this review summarized the research progress on the extraction, structure, pharmacological activities, and applications of polysaccharides and proteins isolated from snail mucus. The extraction methods of snail mucus include natural secretion and stimulation with blunt force, spray, electricity, un-shelling, ultrasonic-assisted, and ozone-assisted. As a natural product, snail mucus mainly comprises two polysaccharides (glycosaminoglycan, dextran), seven glycoproteins (mucin, lectin), various antibacterial peptides, allantoin, glycolic acid, etc. It has pharmacological activities that encourage cell migration and proliferation, and promote angiogenesis and have antibacterial, anti-oxidative and anticancer properties. The mechanism of snail mucus' chemicals performing antibacterial and wound-healing was proposed. Snail mucus is a promising bioactive product with multiple medical applications and has great potential in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. Therefore, this review provides a valuable reference for researching and developing snail mucus.

Keywords: Polysaccharides; Snail mucus; Wound healing.