Rice field snail shell anticancer properties: An exploration opinion
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Date
2023-01
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Abstract
Mollusks, especially Gastropods – which include land, freshwater, and sea snails – are
commonly used as traditional medicine and cost-effective food resource (1). Snail meat has
beneficial nutritional values as it is high in protein and low in fat (2). Hence markets
around Asia, such as Indonesia, China, Taiwan, Japan, and Hongkong, frequently process
snail meat into food (3). A type of freshwater snail, Pila ampullacea, is a native mollusk
easily found in Southeast Asian rice fields and lakes. Like its fellow gastropods, it contains
high nutritional values (100 mg meat: ± 209 kcal calories, ± 18 g protein, 12 mg zinc, 102
mg iron, and 812 mg calcium) (4). Although conventionally consumed as food, Pila
ampullacea is also recognized as a crop pest (5). The only component of snails that has been
incorporated into food is snail meat (6, 7). As their consumption rises, snail shells are less
explored functionally and become animal feed material, accessories, and waste products
with low economic value (1).
Calcium carbonate constitutes 87-96% of the total weight of freshwater snail shells (8).
High dietary calcium intake is clinically protective against multiple chronic diseases,
including lowering the risks of developing cancer (9, 10). Calcium carbonate is also the
primary material used to synthesize hydroxyapatite, a biocompatible material with high
binding activity to proteins and genetic materials.