Standardized Extract from Wastes of Edible Flowers and Snail Mucus Ameliorate Ultraviolet B-Induced Damage in Keratinocytes
Open accessAbstract
Several studies have highlighted the ability of snail mucus in maintaining healthy skin conditions due to its emollient, regenerative, and protective properties. In particular, mucus derived from Helix aspersa muller has already been reported to have beneficial properties such as antimicrobial activity and wound repair capacity. In order to enhance the beneficial effects of snail mucus, a formulation enriched with antioxidant compounds derived from edible flower waste (Acmella oleracea L., Centaurea cyanus L., Tagetes erecta L., Calendula officinalis L., and Moringa oleifera Lam.) was obtained. UVB damage was used as a model to investigate in vitro the cytoprotective effects of snail mucus and edible flower extract. Results demonstrated that polyphenols from the flower waste extract boosted the antioxidant activity of snail mucus, providing cytoprotective effects in keratinocytes exposed to UVB radiation. Additionally, glutathione content, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and lipid peroxidation levels were reduced following the combined treatment with snail mucus and edible flower waste extract. We demonstrated that flower waste can be considered a valid candidate for cosmeceutical applications due to its potent antioxidant activity. Thus, a new formulation of snail mucus enriched in extracts of edible flower waste could be useful to design innovative and sustainable broadband natural UV-screen cosmeceutical products.
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Introduction of snail mucus into fibroblast culture promoted its viability and effectively counteracted basal expression of COX-2, depending on concentration.
“The introduction of snail mucus into the fibroblast culture promoted its viability and effectively counteracted the basal expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), depending on the concentration of the snail mucus.”
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 [71]
The References (no page available) list a study of snail mucus’s pro-survival effects on mammalian fibroblasts, offering support for the viability portion. This paper’s own viability experiments used keratinocytes, however, and the passages found do not report concentration-dependent suppression of basal COX-2 expression in fibroblasts. (LLM, conf=0.78)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredAn effect of decrease in number of alive cells (keratinocytes and macrophages) was revealed for high concentration of snail mucus (diluted 1:20).
“An effect of a decrease in the number of alive cells (keratinocytes and macrophages) was revealed for the high concentration of the snail mucus (when diluted 1:20).”
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 [71]
The Results and Discussion report cytotoxicity in keratinocytes after 48 hours at the highest tested snail-mucus concentrations, but no significant effect at 24 hours. The paper does not report a macrophage viability result or identify a 1:20 dilution; its Methods (§§3.4, 3.8) express the tested mucus concentrations by protein mass per volume instead. (LLM, conf=0.90)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredStudies [71,72,73] could be a prerequisite for development of sun protective products for skin care with addition of snail mucus.
“Studies [71,72,73] could be a prerequisite for the development of sun protective products for skin care with the addition of snail mucus.”
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 [71]
Irradiation and pretreatment and subsequent combined treatment with snail mucus and flower extract increased glutathione content and decreased ROS and lipid peroxidation in human keratinocytes.
“The results showed that irradiation and pretreatment and subsequent combined treatment with snail mucus and flower extract increased the content of glutathione and decreased the level of ROS and lipid peroxidation.”
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 [71]
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Sorted by citations
Hudz, 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
- Vanella, L., Consoli, V., Burò, I., Gulisano, M., Giglio, M. S., Maugeri, L., Petralia, S., Castellano, A., & Sorrenti, V.
- Affiliations
- University of Catania (IT)
- Mediterranean Nutraceutical Extracts (Medinutrex), Via Vincenzo Giuffrida 202, 95128 Catania, Italy
- Corresponding author
- Vanella, Luca
- ORCID
- Venue
- International Journal of Molecular Sciences
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2023-06-15
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 10185
- ISSN
- 1422-0067 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC10298975
- OpenAlex
- W4380988394
- Cited by
- 11
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3
- FWCI
- 2.81
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- International Journal of Molecular Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- SMART UP Project (CUP G66D20000610009)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Dermatology › Skin Protection and Aging
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Biochemistry › Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Activities
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Medicinal Plant Research
- Keywords
- snail mucus, Helix aspersa, UVB-induced skin damage, keratinocytes, antioxidant activity, polyphenols, cosmeceuticals, lipid peroxidation, reactive oxygen species, glutathione, Acmella oleracea, Centaurea cyanus, Tagetes erecta, Calendula officinalis, Moringa oleifera, waste valorization
- MeSH terms
- Cosmeceuticals, Antioxidants, Mucus, Plant Extracts, Ultraviolet Rays, Keratinocytes, Centaurea, Flowers
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