Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Snail mucus, the gastropod-secreted natural polymeric gel, has come to the fore recently as a multi-functional biogenic material with extensive biomedical applications. Its unique adhesiveness, antimicrobiality, and presence of bioactive molecules made it a much-preferred choice in cosmetics and dermatology applications for decades, but recent discoveries now unveil extensive horizons in medicine. Snail mucus enhances healing by speeding up the synthesis of collagen, inducing cell growth, and offering antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory protection. These make it a likely candidate in skin therapy and tissue engineering. Outside of dermatology, snail mucus has the potential to be a bio-adhesive drug delivery carrier for enhancing drug bioavailability in diabetes management and site-directed cancer treatments. Due to its intricate structure that is densely populated by proteins, glycosaminoglycans, hyaluronic acid, and growth factors, it also presents great potential as a candidate for scaffold design in biomaterials science and regenerative engineering. This review highlights recent progress in the biomedical uses of snail mucus, focusing on its multidisciplinary function as a wound-healing drug, tool of oncology, drug delivery device, and tissue engineering instrument. Although additional clinical trials are required, snail mucus is an innovative agent bridging conventional zootherapy and new biotechnology for the creation of new biomedical uses.
Authors: Etukudo, O. M., Unah, U. L
Institution: University of Uyo
Language: English
Topic: Wound Healing and Treatments
Subfield: Surgery
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7218083336