A natural biological adhesive from snail mucus for wound repair

Abstract

The discovery of natural adhesion phenomena and mechanisms has advanced the development of a new generation of tissue adhesives in recent decades. In this study, we develop a natural biological adhesive from snail mucus gel, which consists a network of positively charged protein and polyanionic glycosaminoglycan. The malleable bulk adhesive matrix can adhere to wet tissue through multiple interactions. The biomaterial exhibits excellent haemostatic activity, biocompatibility and biodegradability, and it is effective in accelerating the healing of full-thickness skin wounds in both normal and diabetic male rats. Further mechanistic study shows it effectively promotes the polarization of macrophages towards the anti-inflammatory phenotype, alleviates inflammation in chronic wounds, and significantly improves epithelial regeneration and angiogenesis. Its abundant heparin-like glycosaminoglycan component is the main active ingredient. These findings provide theoretical and material insights into bio-inspired tissue adhesives and bioengineered scaffold designs.

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

“…The result presents the percent atomic concentrations of C, O, N, and S in SMu to be 52.21, 29.63, 8.65, and 0.49%, respectively, similar to Cru, C (54.99%), O (27.44%), N (9.3%), and S (0.82%), as reported in Table . The elements Cl, Ca, Mg, Na, K, and S were also identified, with Cl, Ca, and Mg as the most abundant after C, O, N, and S. This is consistent with the findings of Deng et al in their recent report . Meanwhile, metals have been reported to play essential roles in stabilizing snail mucus as a gel; therefore, similar functions may be attributed to the presence of these metals (Mg, Na, and Ca) in SMu and Cru.…”

“…8 In a separate study, Deng et al did not find transition metals in their analysis of A. fulica mucus; instead, they found that Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ were the most abundant metals in the gastropod mucus. 59 The XPS elemental analysis indicates that no transition metal was detected in the Cru and SMu, according to Table 2; this is in line with the findings of Deng et al 59 Although they performed the elemental analysis using energydispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Werneke et al analyzed the elemental composition of H. aspersa with inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and EDS.…”

“…The elemental composition of SMu and Cru was also obtained from the XPS analysis, as shown in in their recent report. 59 Meanwhile, metals have been reported to play essential roles in stabilizing snail mucus as a gel; 60 therefore, similar functions may be attributed to the presence of these metals (Mg, Na, and Ca) in SMu and Cru. Transition metals in snail mucus, such as Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu, have also been reported.…”

“…60 The variations in the elemental analysis from previous reports to the current study could be due to the limitations of each method employed. For example, EDS is not a quantitative method, 59 so elemental analysis data from EDS may be inaccurate. Sample size and uneven distribution of metals within the mucus could also be another limiting factor to be considered for a more accurate elemental analysis.…”

Highly Stretchable, Transparent, and Adhesive Double-Network Hydrogel Dressings Tailored with Fish Gelatin and Glycyrrhizic Acid for Wound Healing

“…15,16 Fibrous proteins and polysaccharides are the main components of snail mucus. 16 The sulfate, carboxyl, and hydroxyl groups are mostly responsible for the strong adhesion between gel and tissues. 16 A natural biological adhesive matrix from snail mucus has been characterized and applied in skin wounds, which showed excellent activity in adhesion and wound healing.…”