We investigated the regulation of free radical metabolism in Helix aspersa snails during a cycle of 20-day estivation and 24-h arousal in summer in comparison with estivation/arousal in winter-snails. In winter-snails (J. Exp. Biol. 206, 675-685, 2003), we had already observed an increase in the selenium-dependent glutathione-peroxidase (Se-GPX) activity in foot muscle and hepatopancreas and in...

L I G H T microscopical investigations of the neurones of pulmonate gastropods reveal that certain nerve-cells contain neurosecretory droplets. This has been observed in Basommatophora (Grzycki, 1951; Lever, 1957, 1958; Lever, Kok, Meuleman, andjoosse, 1961 ;Wautier, Pavans de Ceccatty, Richardot, Buisson, and Hernandez, 1961) and in stylommatophoran slugs, such as Limax, Milax, and Arion (Herl...

The phenomenon of dart shooting in several species of land snails has still not been explained. We were interested in whether the dart can function as a nuptial gift of calcium, as previously proposed. Donating calcium would increase the fitness of the offspring and thereby result in a higher reproductive success for the donor. We confirmed in Helix aspersa that the developing embryo takes up c...

Today, there are many approaches to new drugs development, but none of them can replace the important role natural products in discovery and development drugs. Natural raw materials remain an extremely source medicines. A number biologically active molecules origin have already found a direct medicinal use, while others serve as chemical models or templates for design synthesis pharmaceutical a...