Rice field snail shell anticancer properties: An exploration opinion

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.