Antioxidant and antiapoptotic impacts of the land snail Helix aspersa extracts on aged male rats, Rattus norvegicus

Abstract Background Oxidative stress and apoptosis are among aging-related severe disorders. The search for natural antioxidative sources is a great challenge; snails are considered a rich source of antioxidant natural compounds. Consequently, this study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant, antiapoptotic, and antiaging activity of soft tissue (viscera) and mucus extracts of Helix aspersa . Methods A total of 72 rats were used, with three replicates per group. Seventy-two male Wistar albino rats were divided into four groups: group I: a young control; group II: aged control (control 2); group III: aged rats treated with H. aspersa soft tissue (viscera) extract; 0.5 mL/100 g orally for 16 consecutive days; and group IV: aged rats treated with H. aspersa (mucous extract; 0.5 mL/100 g orally for 16 consecutive days). Serum was used to determine oxidative biomarkers (catalase and glutathione peroxidase) and testosterone levels. The testis tissue was used for histological investigation; determination of DNA damage by Comet Assay and determination of Nrf2, HO-1, P53, and Bcl-2 genes’ expression using qRT-PCR; and western blot analysis for beclin-1, p-mTOR, and total mTOR. Results Both soft tissue and mucous extracts decreased the biomarkers that were related to aging and enhanced sexuality through many mechanisms when comparing to control groups (1 and 2). In addition, compared to H. aspersa soft tissue extract at P < 0.05, H. aspersa mucous extract increased serum testosterone level, sperm count, and motility by 1.3-, 1.03- and 1.06-fold, respectively. In addition, it produces a significant decrease in aging biomarkers through many mechanisms as decreasing oxidative stress and suppresses testicular apoptosis through downregulating p53 protein expression by 45.3%, upregulating Bcl-2 production by 1.5-fold and increasing Nrf2/HO-1 expression 1.7- and 1.6-fold, respectively. Moreover, mucous extract activated autophagy mTOR signaling pathway by 1.5-fold and lowered the p-mTOR (Ser2448)/total mTOR ratio by 60.6%. Conclusion H. aspersa extracts can be considered very effective promising antioxidant and antiaging agents in old-aged rats.