Abstract
Helix aspersa (HA), Helix pomatia (HP) and Symphytum officinale are common organisms in Romania’s biosphere, widely known for their allantoin content and their therapeutic properties. Herein, the allantoin was separated and quantified from the aqueous extracts of Romanian comfrey root and the secretions of HA and HP snails. This study also focused on determining the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of these Romanian allantoin-rich samples. The plant extracts were obtained through two methods: ultrasonic extraction and enzymatic ultrasonic extraction. A microplate method was used for the quantitative determination of allantoin content. The antioxidant activity was measured by using the DPPH radical scavenging method. The antioxidant capacity of the samples was studied in order to observe the type of interactions generated by the chemical complex present in their composition. High concentrations of allantoin were obtained by enzymatic ultrasonic extraction method (EUE—102 ± 0.74 μg/mL), and also in the water-soluble fraction of the snail secretion (FS1—22.051 μg/mL). The antioxidant screening suggests that Symphytum officinale and snail mucus extracts could be used as promising natural substitutes for synthetic antioxidants in products used for therapeutic purposes. The evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity was also investigated, allantoin-rich samples showing a promising action (FS1—81.87 ± 2.34%). In future, the inclusion of allantoin-rich extracts in various novel pharmaceutical forms for new therapeutic applications could be achieved. The study will continue with the formulation of a nutricosmetic product with snail mucus and Symphytum officinale extract as principal bioactive ingredients.
Highlights
A total of 74 g of crude mucus were obtained from 68 snails from two Romanian species by the Mane et al modified method [39]. To our knowledge, these two native Romanian species of snails selected for our study were not studied for the same purpose to identify allantoin in their mucus, our goal was to highlight the allantoin content and properties of mucus in both species of snails that frequently spread in Romanian gardens and are not sufficiently valued for therapeutic purposes
One of the leading objectives of this study was the determination of the characteristic bioactive compound of the snail secretion and comfrey root, allantoin
Quantitative determination of allantoin, a chemical constituent characteristic of comfrey root and snail secretion, was performed by a spectrophotometric method adapted in microplate format
Summary
Uric acid is converted into allantoin through enzymatic or chemical oxidation, [1]. As a result of cellular metabolism, allantoin is found in a variety of organisms, from bacteria and plants, to invertebrates and vertebrates. The main therapeutic effects of allantoin (Figure 1) are stimulation of cell growth, regeneration of tissues and rebuilding of the granulation tissue [2,3,4,5,6,7]. Nutricosmetics are considered natural ingredients and products that act as nutritional supplements for the care of the beauty of hair, nails and skin, new innovative products being launched worldwide every year [4]. Allantoin is an active principle with keratoplastic and healing actions, soothing and moisturizing effects [8], commonly encountered in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products for treating burns, skin
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