Therapeutic potential of crude protein extracts from two Egyptian freshwater snails Lanistes carinatus and Bellamya unicolor

Theodor Bilharz Research Institute

Bibliographic Information

Authors: Habib M.R.; Mohamed A.H.; AbdElhafez A.R.; Helmy M.S.; Hamed A.A.; Akila A.I.F.; El-Seedi H.R.; Khalifa S.A.M.; Masoud H.M.

Journal: Scientific Reports

Publisher: Nature Research

Publication Date: 2026-07-04

Volume: 16   |   Issue: 1

Article No.: 20554

ISSN: 20452322

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-60044-5

Scopus: View article on Scopus

PubMed: View article on PubMed

Document Type: Article

Access: All Open Access; Gold Open Access; Green Open Access

Authors and Affiliations

Habib M.R., Medical Malacology Department, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, 1 Corniche El Nile St., Warrak El-Haddar, Imbaba, Giza, 12411, Egypt; Mohamed A.H., Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Menoufia University, Shebin El-Kom, Egypt; AbdElhafez A.R., Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Menoufia University, Shebin El-Kom, Egypt; Helmy M.S., Molecular Biology Department, National Research Centre, 33 El-Buhouth St., Dokki, Giza, 12622, Egypt, Proteome Research Lab, Central Laboratories Network and Centers of Excellence, National Research Center, 33 El-Buhouth St., Dokki, Giza, 12622, Egypt; Hamed A.A., Microbial Chemistry Department, National Research Center, 33 El-Buhouth St., Dokki, Giza, 12622, Egypt; Akila A.I.F., Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Menoufia University, Shebin El-Kom, 31100107, Egypt; El-Seedi H.R., Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Menoufia University, Shebin El-Kom, 31100107, Egypt; Khalifa S.A.M., Neurology and Psychiatry Department, Capio Saint Göran’s Hospital, Sankt Göransplan 1, Stockholm, 112 19, Sweden; Masoud H.M., Molecular Biology Department, National Research Centre, 33 El-Buhouth St., Dokki, Giza, 12622, Egypt, Proteome Research Lab, Central Laboratories Network and Centers of Excellence, National Research Center, 33 El-Buhouth St., Dokki, Giza, 12622, Egypt

Abstract

Freshwater snails are emerging sources of bioactive molecules with potential biomedical and therapeutic relevance. This study evaluated crude protein extracts from two Egyptian freshwater snails, Lanistes carinatus and Bellamya unicolor, for antioxidant enzymes, antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities, cytotoxicity against human cancer cell lines, and peptide composition. Both species exhibited low activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione S-transferase (GST), with slightly higher levels in L. carinatus. Despite this, the crude protein extracts inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus; L. carinatus showed stronger antifungal activity against Candida albicans, while neither extract affected Aspergillus niger. Selective cytotoxicity was observed: L. carinatus was most active against MCF-7 and HeLa cells, whereas B. unicolor was highly potent against HCT-116 and moderately active against PC3 cells, with minimal effects on normal WI-38 cells. LC–MS/MS identified 26 short peptides, likely contributing to the antimicrobial and anticancer activities.These findings provide preliminary evidence of the therapeutic potential of L. carinatus and B. unicolor crude protein extracts, highlighting freshwater snails as candidate sources of bioactive molecules that merit further investigation. © The Author(s) 2026.

Keywords

Antibiofilm activity; Antimicrobial activity; Antioxidant enzymes; Bellamya unicolor; Bioactive peptides; Cytotoxicity; Freshwater snails; Lanistes carinatus; Animals; Anti-Infective Agents; Antineoplastic Agents; Antioxidants; Candida albicans; Cell Line; Tumor; Complex Mixtures; Egypt; Fresh Water; HeLa Cells; Humans; Proteins; Snails; Staphylococcus aureus; antiinfective agent; antineoplastic agent; antioxidant; protein; animal; chemistry; drug effect; drug mixture; HeLa cell line; human; pharmacology; snail; tumor cell line

Citation Information

Scopus Citations: 0

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