In vivo biomimetic calcification of selected organic scaffolds using snail shell regeneration: a new methodological approach

Abstract

In vivo biomimetic biomineralization using living organisms known as biomineralizers is currently a major research trend. Industrially cultivated terrestrial snails, such as the common garden snail Cornu aspersum, represent a simple model organism that is ideal for use in experiments on the regeneration of the calcified shell after the excavation of a corresponding shell fragment. The mollusk’s artificially damaged shell is regenerated via the formation of an organic regenerative membrane, which serves as a native template for in vivo biocalcification. In this study, for the first time, a special plexiglass device for non-lethal fixation of living snails, enabling real-time monitoring of their ability to regenerate their shells using digital microscopy, has been proposed and tested. As an alternative to natural biomineralization using the mollusk’s own sources, we propose chitin- and collagen-based templates, which have been shown to be effectively calcified by living snails. The results indicate that the type of organic template used for in vivo biomineralization has a substantial effect on the nature of the mineral phases.