Snail mucus from the mantle and foot of two land snails, Lissachatina fulica and Hemiplecta distincta, exhibits different protein profile and biological activity

Abstract

Objective: Snails secrete different types of mucus that serve several functions, and are increasingly being exploited for medical and cosmetic applications. In this study, we explored the protein pattern and compared the biological properties of the mucus secreted from the mantle collar and foot of two snail species, Lissachatina fulica and Hemiplecta distincta.

Result: Protein profile showed a different pattern between the two species and between the two secretory parts. The mantle-specific protein bands were further characterized and among them was an antibacterial protein, achacin. Accordingly, the mucus from the mantle exhibited the higher antibacterial activity than that from the foot in both snail species. The mucus from H. distincta, first reported here, also showed antibacterial properties, but with a lower activity compared to that for L. fulica. Snail mucus also exhibited anti-tyrosinase activity and antioxidant activity but with no significant difference between the foot and mantle mucus. These results indicate some different protein compositions and biological activities of snail slime from the mantle and foot, which might be associated with their specific functions in the animal and are useful for medical applications.

Keywords: Anti-tyrosinase activity; Antimicrobial activity; Antioxidant activity; Land snail; Snail mucus.

Fig.1

Analysis of the protein pattern in snail mucus from the mantle (M) or foot (F) of L. fulica and H. distincta by SDS-PAGE. A total protein content of 25 µg/lane was subjected to 12.5% SDS-PAGE and stained with a Coomassie Brilliant Blue or b silver staining. The red box indicates distinct protein bands that were chosen for further analysis. Prestain marker PageRuler was used for size estimation

Fig. 2

Antibacterial activity of L. fulica mucus. The different protein concentrations (12.5, 25, 50, 100, and 200 µg/100 µl PBS) were incubated with E. coli, B. subtilis, S. aureus, and Acinetobacter sp. L9, PK3, and Y3 overnight and then the OD₆₀₀ was determined. Data are shown as the mean ± standard deviation, derived from three independent replicates

Fig. 3

Antibacterial activity of H. distincta mucus. The different protein concentrations (12.5, 25, 50, 100, and 200 µg/100 µl PBS) were incubated with E. coli, B. subtilis, S. aureus, and Acinetobacter sp. L9, PK3, and Y3 overnight and then the OD₆₀₀ was determined. Data are shown as the mean ± standard deviation, derived from three independent replicates