HelixComplex snail mucus as a potential technology against O3 induced skin damage
Open accessAbstract
Mucus form H. aspersa muller has been reported to have several therapeutic proprieties, such as antimicrobial activity, skin protection and wound repair. In this study, we have analyzed H. aspersa mucus (Helixcomplex) bio-adhesive efficacy and its defensive properties against the ozone (O3) (0.5 ppm for 2 hours) exposure in human keratinocytes and reconstructed human epidermis models. Cytotoxicity, tissue morphology and cytokine levels were determined. We confirmed HelixComplex regenerative and bio-adhesive properties, the latter possibly via the characteristic mucopolysaccharide composition. In addition, HelixComplex was able to protect from O3 exposure by preventing oxidative damage and the consequent pro-inflammatory response in both 2D and 3D models. Based on this study, it is possible to suggest HelixComplex as a potentially new protective technology against pollution induced skin damage.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In human keratinocytes, snail mucus at 4-400 μg/mL did not demonstrate any toxic effects.
“In the test with the human keratinocytes, snail mucus in concentrations of 4–400 μg/mL did not demonstrate any toxic effects.”
From Chemical Variability and Biological Potential of Cornu aspersum Mucus as a Source for the Development of New Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Products (2025) · cites this paper as [47]
In reconstructed human epidermis exposed to ozone, pretreatment with snail mucus significantly decreased induction of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1beta and IL-8 mRNAs) and increased anti-inflammatory mediator IL-10.
“According to the other experiment with the impact of ozone on the reconstructed human epidermis, a significant decrease was observed in the induction of proinflammatory cytokines (both IL-1beta and IL-8 mRNAs), and, at the same time, there was an increase in the anti-inflammatory mediator IL-10 after the pretreatment of the reconstructed human epidermis with snail mucus [47].”
From Chemical Variability and Biological Potential of Cornu aspersum Mucus as a Source for the Development of New Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Products (2025) · cites this paper as [47]
Pretreatment with snail mucus improved the in vitro wound-healing process after 24 h compared to control, in which only 50% of wound area was recovered.
“The pretreatment with snail mucus improved the “in vitro” wound-healing process after 24 h compared to the control, in which only 50% of the wound area was recovered.”
From Chemical Variability and Biological Potential of Cornu aspersum Mucus as a Source for the Development of New Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Products (2025) · cites this paper as [47]
The efficacy of purified C. aspersum mucus as a protective agent against ozone-damaging effects was confirmed in experiments on human keratinocytes and reconstructed human epidermis models.
“The efficacy of the purified C. aspersum mucus as a protective agent against ozone-damaging effects was confirmed in the experiments on human keratinocytes and reconstructed human epidermis models.”
From Chemical Variability and Biological Potential of Cornu aspersum Mucus as a Source for the Development of New Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Products (2025) · cites this paper as [47]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
No references could be resolved yet.
Research works printed but not linked: 34
- [1]McDaniel D, Farris P, Valacchi G. Atmospheric skin aging-Contributors and inhibitors. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2018; 17(2): 124– 137. 10.1111/jocd.12518 29575554 · DOI
- [2]Valacchi G, Sticozzi C, Pecorelli A, Cervellati F, Cervellati C, Maioli E. Cutaneous responses to environmental stressors. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2012; 1271: 75– 81. 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2012.06724.x 23050967 PMC3495295 · DOI · Paper page
- [3]Weber SU, Han N, Packer L. Ozone: an emerging oxidative stressor to skin. Curr Probl Dermatol. 2001; 29: 52– 61. 10.1159/000060653 11225201 · DOI
- [4]Kousha T, Valacchi G. The air quality health index and emergency department visits for urticaria in Windsor, Canada. J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2015; 78(8): 524– 33. 10.1080/15287394.2014.991053 25849769 · DOI
- [5]Valacchi G, Porada E, Rowe BH. Ambient ozone and bacterium Streptococcus: A link between cellulitis and pharyngitis. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2015; 28(4): 771– 4. 10.13075/ijomeh.1896.00267 26216315 · DOI
- [6]Xu F, Yan S, Wu M, Li F, Xu X, Song W et al Ambient ozone pollution as a risk factor for skin disorders. Br J Dermatol. 2011; 165: 224– 225. 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2011.10349.x 21457212 · DOI
- [7]Larrieu S, Lefranc A, Gault G, Chatignoux E, Couvy F, Jouves B et al Are the short-term effects of air pollution restricted to cardiorespiratory diseases? Am J Epidemiol. 2009; 169: 1201– 1208. 10.1093/aje/kwp032 19342399 · DOI
- [8]Kousha T, Valacchi G. The air quality health index and emergency department visits for urticaria in Windsor, Canada. J Toxicol Environ Health. 2015; 78: 524– 533. 25849769
- [9]Pryor WA. Mechanisms of radical formation from reactions of ozone with target 7835752
- [10]Valacchi G, Sticozzi C, Belmonte G, Cervellati F, Demaude J, Chen N et al Vitamin C Compound Mixtures Prevent Ozone-Induced Oxidative Damage in Human Keratinocytes as Initial Assessment of Pollution Protection. PLoS One 2015; 10(8): e0131097 10.1371/journal.pone.0131097 26270818 PMC4536008 · DOI · Paper page
- [11]Newar J. & Ghatak A. Studies on the Adhesive Property of Snail Adhesive Mucus. Langmuir. 2015; 31: 12155– 12160. 10.1021/acs.langmuir.5b03498 26480243 · DOI
- [12]Bortolotti D, Trapella C, Bernardi T, Rizzo R. Letter to the Editor: Antimicrobial properties of mucus from the brown garden snail Helix aspersa. Br J Biomed Sci. 2016; 73: 49– 50. 10.1080/09674845.2016.1155377 27182678 · DOI
- [13]Trapella C, Rizzo R, Gallo S, Alogna A, Bortolotti D, Casciano F et al HelixComplex snail mucus exhibits pro-survival, proliferative and pro-migration effects on mammalian fibroblasts. Sci Rep. 2018; 8(1): 17665 10.1038/s41598-018-35816-3 30518946 PMC6281574 · DOI · Paper page
- [14]López Angulo DE, do Amaral Sobral PJ. Characterization of gelatin/chitosan scaffold blended with aloe vera and snail mucus for biomedical purpose. Int J Biol Macromol. 2016; 92: 645– 653. 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2016.07.029 27453523 · DOI
- [15]Sticozzi C, Pecorelli A, Belmonte G, Valacchi G. Cigarette smoke affects ABCAl expression via liver X receptor nuclear translocation in human keratinocytes. Int J Mol Sci. 2010; 11: 3375– 3386. 10.3390/ijms11093375 20957101 PMC2956101 · DOI
- [16]Magnani ND, Muresan XM, Belmonte G, Cervellati F, Sticozzi C, Pecorelli A et al Skin Damage Mechanisms Related to Airborne Particulate Matter Exposure. Toxicol Sci. 2016; 149: 227– 236. 10.1093/toxsci/kfv230 26507108 · DOI
- [17]Cervellati F, Muresan XM, Sticozzi C, Gambari R, Montagner G, Forman HJ et al Comparative effects between electronic and cigarette smoke in human keratinocytes and epithelial lung cells. Toxicol In Vitro. 2014; 28: 999– 1005. 10.1016/j.tiv.2014.04.012 24809892 PMC4234078 · DOI
- [19]Valacchi G, Pecorelli A, Mencarelli M, Carbotti P, Fortino V, Muscettola M et al Rottlerin: a multifaced regulator of keratinocyte cell cycle. Exp Dermatol. 2009; 18: 516– 521. 10.1111/j.1600-0625.2008.00816.x 19492998 · DOI
- [20]Lim Y, Phung AD, Corbacho AM, Aung HH, Maioli E, Reznick AZ et al Modulation of cutaneous wound healing by ozone: differences between young and aged mice. Toxicol Lett. 2006; 160: 127– 134. 10.1016/j.toxlet.2005.06.013 16129572 · DOI
- [21]Muresan XM, Narzt MS, Woodby B, Ferrara F, Gruber F, Valacchi G. Involvement of cutaneous SR-B1 in skin lipid homeostasis. Arch Biochem Biophys. 2019; 666: 1– 7. 10.1016/j.abb.2019.03.005 30876920 · DOI
- [22]Bortolotti D, Gentili V, Rotola A, Cultrera R, Marci R, Di Luca D et al HHV-6A infection of endometrial epithelial cells affects immune profile and trophoblast invasion. Am J Reprod Immunol. 2019; 82: e13174 10.1111/aji.13174 31338899 · DOI
- [23]Sticozzi C, Belmonte G, Pecorelli A, Arezzini B, Gardi C, Maioli E et al Cigarette smoke affects keratinocytes SRB1 expression and localization via H2O2 production and HNE protein adducts formation. PLoS One 2012; 7: e33592 10.1371/journal.pone.0033592 22442701 PMC3307738 · DOI
- [25]Cross CE, Valacchi G, Schock B, Wilson M, Weber S, Eiserich J et al Environmental oxidant pollutant effects on biologic systems: a focus on micronutrient antioxidant-oxidant interactions. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2002; 166: S44– 50. 10.1164/rccm.2206015 12471088 · DOI
- [26]Forman HJ, Davies KJ, Ursini F. How do nutritional antioxidants really work: nucleophilic tone and para-hormesis versus free radical scavenging in vivo. Free Radic Biol Med. 2014; 66: 24– 35. 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2013.05.045 23747930 PMC3852196 · DOI
- [27]Pecorelli A, Woodby B, Prieux R, Valacchi G. Involvement of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal in pollution-induced skin damage. Biofactors 2019; 45: 536– 547. 10.1002/biof.1513 31087730 · DOI
- [28]Valacchi G, Fortino V, Bocci V. The dual action of ozone on the skin. Br J Dermatol. 2005; 153: 1096– 1100. 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2005.06939.x 16307642 · DOI · Paper page
- [29]Dellambra E, Odorisio T, D’Arcangelo D, Failla CM, Facchiano A. Non-animal models in dermatological research. ALTEX 2019; 36: 177– 202. 10.14573/altex.1808022 30456412 · DOI
- [30]Valacchi G, van der Vliet A, Schock BC, Okamoto T, Obermuller-Jevic U, Cross CE et al Ozone exposure activates oxidative stress responses in murine skin. Toxicology. 2002; 179: 163– 170. 10.1016/s0300-483x(02)00240-8 12204552 · DOI · Paper page
- [31]Valacchi G, Weber SU, Luu C, Cross CE, Packer L. Ozone potentiates vitamin E depletion by ultraviolet radiation in the murine stratum corneum. FEBS Lett. 2000; 466: 165– 168. 10.1016/s0014-5793(99)01787-1 10648834 · DOI
- [32]Valacchi G, Pecorelli A, Belmonte G, Pambianchi E, Cervellati F, Lynch S et al Protective Effects of Topical Vitamin C Compound Mixtures against Ozone-Induced Damage in Human Skin. J Invest Dermatol. 2017; 137: 1373– 1375. 10.1016/j.jid.2017.01.034 28219661 · DOI
- [33]Sticozzi C, Pecorelli A, Romani A, Belmonte G, Cervellati F, Maioli E, et al Tropospheric ozone affects SRB1 levels via oxidative post-translational modifications in lung cells. Free Radic Biol Med. 2018; 126: 287– 295. 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2018.07.007 30059777 · DOI
- [34]Lei Y, Wang K, Deng L, Chen Y, Nice EC, Huang C. Redox regulation of inflammation: old elements, a new story. Med Res Rev. 2015; 35: 306– 340. 10.1002/med.21330 25171147 · DOI
- [35]Bromberg PA. Mechanisms of the acute effects of inhaled ozone in humans. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2016; 1860: 2771– 2781. 10.1016/j.bbagen.2016.07.015 27451958 · DOI
- [36]Kabe Y, Ando K, Hirao S, Yoshida M, Handa H. Redox regulation of NF-kappaB activation: distinct redox regulation between the cytoplasm and the nucleus. Antioxid Redox Signal. 2005; 7: 395– 403. 10.1089/ars.2005.7.395 15706086 · DOI · Paper page
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Espinoza-Monje, M., Campos, J., Alvarez Villamil, E., Jerez, A., Dentice Maidana, S., Elean, M., Salva, S., Kitazawa, H., Villena, J., & García-Cancino, A. (2021) · Microorganisms · doi:10.3390/microorganisms9071486 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Design of Liposomes Carrying HelixComplex Snail Mucus: Preliminary Studies
Alogna, A., Gentili, V., Trapella, C., Hallan, S. S., Sguizzato, M., Strazzabosco, G., Fernández, M., Cortesi, R., Rizzo, R., & Bortolotti, D. (2021) · Molecules · doi:10.3390/molecules26164709 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Self-citationHudz, N., Turkina, V., Alyokhina, T., Motyka, O., Chemerys, N., Rumynska, T., Lozynskyi, A., Jasicka-Misiak, I., & Kobylinska, L. (2025) · Molecules · doi:10.3390/molecules30214197 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
- Authors
- Gentili, V., Bortolotti, D., Benedusi, M., Alogna, A., Fantinati, A., Guiotto, A., Turrin, G., Cervellati, C., Trapella, C., Rizzo, R., & Valacchi, G.
- Affiliations
- University of Ferrara (IT)
- Corresponding author
- Rizzo, Roberta
- Valacchi, Giuseppe
- ORCID
- Venue
- PLOS ONE
- Publisher
- Public Library of Science (PLoS)
- Published
- 2020-02-21
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- e0229613
- ISSN
- 1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7034816
- OpenAlex
- W3008146206
- Cited by
- 51
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 1
- FWCI
- 5.49
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Institutional Research Information System University of Ferrara (University of Ferrara) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca (ARS01_01163)
- camera di commercio di Ferrara (Activae Project)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Dermatology › Skin Protection and Aging
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Rehabilitation › Wound Healing and Treatments
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Insect Science › Mollusks and Parasites Studies
- Keywords
- snail mucus, bioadhesion, glycosaminoglycans, keratinocytes, reconstructed human epidermis, oxidative damage, pro-inflammatory response, skin protection, wound healing
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Cell Line, Cell Survival, Epidermis, Helix, Snails, Humans, Mucus, Oxidation-Reduction, Wound Healing, Keratinocytes, Oxidative Stress
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
