Abstract
Marine molluscs from the family Muricidae hold great potential for development as a source of therapeutically useful compounds. Traditionally known for the production of the ancient dye Tyrian purple, these molluscs also form the basis of some rare traditional medicines that have been used for thousands of years. Whilst these traditional and alternative medicines have not been chemically analysed or tested for efficacy in controlled clinical trials, a significant amount of independent research has documented the biological activity of extracts and compounds from these snails. In particular, Muricidae produce a suite of brominated indoles with anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and steroidogenic activity, as well as choline esters with muscle-relaxing and pain relieving properties. These compounds could explain some of the traditional uses in wound healing, stomach pain and menstrual problems. However, the principle source of bioactive compounds is from the hypobranchial gland, whilst the shell and operculum are the main source used in most traditional remedies. Thus further research is required to understand this discrepancy and to optimise a quality controlled natural medicine from Muricidae.
Highlights
Most natural medicines are derived from plants, marine invertebrate phyla, including the Mollusca, are of increasing interest as a source of novel bioactive compounds [1,2,3,4,5,6]
The indole precursors of Tyrian purple can be extracted from the hypobranchial glands, reproductive organs and egg masses using a range of organic solvents, including ethanol, chloroform, dichloromethane, dimethyl formamide (DMF) and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) [34,58,61,62]
Isatin has been found to inhibit inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), which results in reduced prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and nitric oxide (NO) levels in mouse macrophages stimulated with LPS and interferon gamma [98]
Summary
Most natural medicines are derived from plants, marine invertebrate phyla, including the Mollusca, are of increasing interest as a source of novel bioactive compounds [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Independent research on the natural products chemistry and bioactivity of source species may be available This provides an opportunity to establish whether the current medicinal uses can be refuted, substantiated, and/or possibly improved on. The purple secretion from muricids forms the basis of a homeopathic remedy that has been in clinical use for over 150 years [16,24] These Muricidae medicines are used to treat a wide variety of disorders, with some re-occurring themes including treatment of menstrual problems, wounds, ulcers and pain relief. This review provides insight into some of the limitations in associating CAMs with bioactive compounds from the source species and highlights the potential for future development of a new scientifically-based nutraceutical from Muricidae molluscs
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