Royal Jelly Prevents the Progression of Sarcopenia in Aged Mice In Vivo and In Vitro

Abstract

Sarcopenia is characterized by the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength. One of the mechanisms of sarcopenia is the loss in the function and number of muscle satellite cells. Royal jelly (RJ) is a health food used worldwide. To obtain better digestion and absorption than RJ, protease-treated RJ (pRJ) has been developed. RJ and pRJ have been suggested to have potential pharmacological benefits such as prolonging the life span and reducing fatigue. Because these effects may improve sarcopenia and the functions of satellite cells, we examined the effects of RJ or pRJ treatment on the skeletal muscles in an animal model using aged mice. In vivo, RJ/pRJ treatment attenuated the decrease in the muscle weight and grip strength and increased the regenerating capacity of injured muscles and the serum insulin-like growth factor-1 levels compared with controls. In vitro, using isolated satellite cells from aged mice, pRJ treatment increased the cell proliferation rate, promoted cell differentiation, and activated Akt intracellular signaling pathway compared with controls. These findings suggest that RJ/pRJ treatment had a beneficial effect on age-related sarcopenia.

Habitual exercise plus dietary supplementation with milk fat globule membrane improves muscle function deficits via neuromuscular development in senescence-accelerated mice

“…Aging-dependent declines in serum IGF-1 levels may also contribute to loss of muscle mass (Perrini et al 2010); a recent study has shown that loss of muscle mass in aged mice can be attenuated partly by increasing serum IGF-1 levels by feeding royal jelly (Niu et al 2013). Therefore, the increases in serum IGF-1 and IGF-1 receptor mRNA levels and decreases in IGFBP-5 mRNA levels after habitual exercise plus dietary MFGM might have contributed to the increase in muscle mass and contractile force production in SAMP1.…”

Royalactin extends lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans through epidermal growth factor signaling

“…Preliminary results show that the daily intake of RJ improves muscle strength and physical performance in elderly volunteers, as seen in mice both in vitro and in vivo (Niu et al, 2013). Yet, care should be taken since sufficient data are lacking.…”

“…Phase III clinical trials are already underway to assess the effects of RJ on elderly people (Niu et al, 2013). Preliminary results show that the daily intake of RJ improves muscle strength and physical performance in elderly volunteers, as seen in mice both in vitro and in vivo (Niu et al, 2013).…”

The effect of royal jelly on the growth of breast cancer in mice

“…RJ exhibits a wide variety of functional properties, and has been widely used in cosmetics, healthy foods and commercial medical products in numerous countries. Additionally, RJ possesses various properties, including antimicrobial (2), anti-inflammatory (3,4), hepatoprotective (5), antisarcopenia (6), insulin-like action (7) and antihypercholesterolemic (8) properties. In the recent decades, there have been an increasing number of studies investigating the effects of RJ.…”