Snail mucin is one of the animal products widely used in cosmetic products. The mucus of Cornu aspersum (C. aspersum) contains compounds that have antibacterial, antioxidant, proliferative, pro-migration, angiogenesis-promoting, and other biological effects. This study aimed to critically analyze and consolidate existing data on the bioactive components of C. aspersum mucus and the mechanisms of their influence on human health, fo cusing mainly on its cosmetic, regenerative, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial proper ties. We conducted a literature search analysis on this problem using the following search databases in English: PubMed, PubChem, Mendeley, Google Scholar, Scirus, DOAL, BASE, CORE, Science.gov, and RefSeek up to August 12, 2025. It was shown that snail mucus facilitates wound healing, which could be the prerequisite for the development of innovative formulations for the adjuvant therapy of skin wounds. However, there are problems with the standardization of snail mucus because of the absence of single quality indexes, their limits, and the complicated structure of snail mucins. Moreover, there is a lack of clinical randomized trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of C. aspersum snail
mucus. In conclusion, snail mucus's biological effects deserve further investigation and pave the way for further studies of its potential as a raw material for pharmaceutical products, including the chemical structure of the still unknown molecules, its standardization, nonclinical and clinical studies, and further studies of snail mucus for its usage in cosmetology.
Keywords: Cornu aspersum mucus; mucin; snail secretions; cosmetology; wounds
Abstract
In the literature, the chemical composition of Rhododendron tomentosum is mainly represented by the study of isoprenoid compounds of essential oil. In contrast, the study of the content of flavonoids will contribute to the expansion of pharmacological action and the use of the medicinal plant for medical purposes. The paper deals with the technology of extracts from Rh. tomentosum shoots using ethanol of various concentrations and purified water as an extractant. Extracts from Rh. tomentosum were obtained by a modified method that combined the effects of ultrasound and temperature to maximize the extraction of biologically active substances from the raw material. Using the method of high-performance thin-layer chromatography in a system with solvents ethyl acetate/formic acid/water (15:1:1), the following substances have been separated and identified in all the extracts obtained: rutin, hyperoside, quercetin, and chlorogenic acid. The total polyphenol content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) were estimated using spectrophotometric methods involving the Folin-Ciocalteu (F-C) reagent and the complexation reaction with aluminum chloride, respectively. A correlation analysis was conducted between antioxidant activity and the polyphenolic substance content. Following the DPPH assay, regression analysis shows that phenolic compounds contribute to about 80% (r2 = 0.8028, p < 0.05) of radical scavenging properties in the extract of Rh. tomentosum. The extract of Rh. tomentosum obtained by ethanol 30% inhibits the growth of test cultures of microorganisms in 1:1 and 1:2 dilutions of the clinical strains #211 Staphylococcus aureus and #222 Enterococcus spp. and the reference strain Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 10145. © 2024 by the authors.
Author keywords
aluminum chloride; antimicrobial activity; antioxidant activity; chlorogenic acid; DPPH assay; Folin-Ciocalteu reagent; HPTL; hyperoside; Ledum palustre; quercetin; Rhododendron tomentosum; rutin; UV–Vis