From nature to medicine: snail slime-based functional excipients for oral dosage forms

Abstract

Snail slime, well-known for its outstanding benefits in wound healing and skin disorders, is just beginning to be investigated for its potential in treating gastrointestinal inflammatory diseases.

This study presents novel microparticle-based powders as functional excipients for oral dosage forms, produced via spray-drying (SD) of Helix Aspersa Muller snail mucus combined with pectin and starch.

Highlights

Snail slime-based microparticles were successfully produced via spray-drying.

Pectin and starch improved yield of SD (the yield is releated to process to obtain the powder), morphology, and flowability.

The formulations showed strong mucoadhesive properties under GI-like conditions.

Combined powders exhibited enhanced antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.

No cytotoxicity was observed; cytokine secretion (IL-6/IL-8) was significantly reduced.

Two formulations were developed: SS_SD_40 (40 wt% slime, 60 wt% pectin/starch 1:1) and SS_SD_20 (20 wt% slime, 80 wt% pectin/starch 1:1). Pure slime showed low yield (17.4 % w/w) and high stickiness, whereas blending with pectin and starch improved yields up to 50 %. The resulting powders had well-defined microparticles with diameters of 9.70 μm and 7.56 μm.

HPLC analysis confirmed allantoin preservation (>94 % recovery). SS_SD_40 and SS_SD_20 displayed acceptable flowability as a pharmaceutical grade powder, low water content, and mucoadhesiveness under simulated GI conditions. Antioxidant tests revealed dose-dependent radical scavenging, with SS_SD_20 achieving up to 60 % higher activity and lowest IC₅₀ than the other investigated samples. Anti-inflammatory effects, assessed by BSA denaturation, were strongest for SS_SD_40 (∼90 % inhibition at 2.5 mg/ml and lowest IC₅₀ that the other samples).

Both samples showed no cytotoxicity towards Caco-2 cells and reduced IL-6 and IL-8 secretion. The synergistic combination of snail slime, pectin, and starch produced multifunctional, biocompatible powders suitable as new functional excipients for oral formulations.

Materials

Snail mucus from Helix Aspersa Muller was purchased from ACEF (Piacenza, Italy), Product specifications used are: pH ranging between 4.5–6.5; density equal to 1.0–1.1 g/ml; glycolic acid > 2 g/l; allantoin ≥ 0.5 g/l; dry residue after treatment at 105 °C for 3 h equal to 0.5–2.0 %. Microbiological specifications of the product used are: total bacterial count < 100 CFU/g; yeasts and molds ≤ 10 CFU/g; pathogens absent.

Marta Cabibbo, Cinzia Scialabba, Salvatore Emanuele Drago, Emanuela Fabiola Craparo, Gennara Cavallaro,
From nature to medicine: snail slime-based functional excipients for oral dosage forms, International Journal of Pharmaceutics, Volume 682, 2025, 125914, ISSN 0378-5173, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2025.125914.