Snail Mucus from Achatina fulica as a Biomaterial Exhibits Pro-Survival Effects on Human Chondrocytes.

Abstract

This study reports the novel use of Achatina fulica (A. fulica) mucus as a potential therapeutic repair agent in osteoarthritis and cartilage tissue repair in vitro. Snail mucus was isolated, sterilized, and characterized using FTIR, XPS, rheology, and LC-MS/MS. The GAGs, sugar, phenol, and protein contents were estimated using standard assays. The LC-MS/MS identified 6-gingerol and some other small molecules. The effects of the sterilized mucus were studied on human chondrocytes using the C28/I2 cell as a model for the in vitro assays. The MTT assay indicates that mucus extracted from the pedal of A. fulica is biocompatible with the cells up to a concentration of 50 μg/mL. The mucus promoted cell migration and proliferation and completely closed the wound within 72 h, as indicated in the in vitro scratch assay. In addition, the snail mucus reduced apoptosis significantly (p < 0.05) in the treated cells by 74.6%. It preserved the cytoskeletal integrity of the C28/I2 cells, attributed mainly to GAGs and 6-gingerol content of the mucus. In conclusion, this present study suggests that GAGs and 6-gingerol conferred wound-healing and antiapoptotic properties on the mucus secretion from A. fulica and can be explored for therapeutic repair and cartilage tissue engineering.