The functional mechanisms of synchronizing royal jelly consumption and physical activity on rat with multiple sclerosis-like behaviors hallmarks based on bioinformatics analysis, and experimental survey

Molecular Insights into Royal Jelly Anti-Inflammatory Properties and Related Diseases

Royal jelly (RJ), a highly nutritious natural product, has gained recognition for its remarkable health-promoting properties, leading to its widespread use in the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries. Extensive investigations have revealed that RJ possesses a broad spectrum of therapeutic effects, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitumor, anti-aging, and antibacterial activities. Distinctive among bee products, RJ exhibits a significantly higher water and relatively lower sugar content. It is characterized by its substantial protein content, making it a valuable source of this essential macronutrient. Moreover, RJ contains a diverse array of bioactive substances, such as lipids, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, organic acids, minerals, vitamins, enzymes, and hormones. This review aims to provide an overview of current research on the bioactive components present in RJ and their associated health-promoting qualities. According to existing literature, these bioactive substances hold great potential as alternative approaches to enhancing human health. Notably, this review emphasizes the anti-inflammatory properties of RJ, particularly in relation to inflammatory diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Furthermore, we delve into the antitumor and antioxidant activities of RJ, aiming to deepen our understanding of its biological functions. By shedding light on the multifaceted benefits of RJ, this review seeks to encourage its utilization and inspire further investigation in this field.

Microscopic polyangiitis plasma-derived exosomal miR-1287-5p induces endothelial inflammatory injury and neutrophil adhesion by targeting CBL

Background

An inflammatory environment around the vessel wall caused by leukocyte infiltration is one of the characteristic histopathological features of microscopic polyangiitis (MPA); however, the pathogenic mechanisms are not fully understood. Studies have found that circulating microRNA (miRNA) can be used as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and classification of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitides (AAV), and the E3 ubiquitin ligase casitas B-lineage lymphoma (CBL) seems to be associated with inflammation. In addition, evidence indicates that miRNA can be tracked into exosomes and transferred into recipient cells to mediate the process of vascular endothelial injury. Herein, we aimed to identify the profiles of exosomal miRNA, and determine the effect of exosomal miR-1287-5p and its target gene CBL on vascular endothelial cells in MPA.

Method

We isolated plasma exosomes from patients with MPA (MPA-exo) and healthy controls (HC-exo) by ultracentrifugation and conducted exosome small-RNA sequencing to screen differential miRNA expression in MPA-exo (n = 3) compared to HC-exo (n = 3). We measured the expression levels of miR-1303, miR-1287-5p, and miR-129-1-3p using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR, n = 6) and performed dual luciferase reporter gene assays to confirm the downstream target gene of miR-1287-5p. In addition, we treated human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) with MPA-exo, or transfected them with miR-1287-5p mimic/inhibitor or with CBL-siRNA/CBL-siRNA+ miR-1287-5p inhibitor. After cell culture, we evaluated the effects on vascular endothelial cells by examining the mRNA levels of IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1, ICAM-1 and E-selectin using qRT-PCR and performed neutrophil adhesion assay with haematoxylin staining.

Result

Transmission electron microscopy, Western blot and nanoparticle tracking analysis showed that we successfully purified exosomes and MPA-exo could be absorbed into HUVEC. We screened a total of 1,077 miRNA by sequencing and observed a high abundance of miR-1287-5p in the exosomes obtained from MPA plasma. The dual luciferase reporter assay identified CBL as a downstream target gene of miR-1287-5p, and the results revealed that MPA-exo decreased CBL protein expression in HUVEC. In addition, treatment with MPA-exo, up-regulating miR-1287-5p or silencing of CBL in HUVEC significantly increased the mRNA expression of inflammatory factors (including IL-6, IL-8, and MCP-1) and adhesion molecules (including ICAM-1 and E-selection) and promoted the adhesion of neutrophils to HUVEC. However, down-regulating miR-1287-5p had the opposite effect.

Conclusion

Our study revealed that MPA-exo was involved in the intercellular transfer of miR-1287-5p and subsequently promote the development of acute endothelial injury in MPA. MiR-1287-5p and CBL agonists may be promising therapeutic approach for MPA-induced vascular inflammatory injury.

The Effect of Exercise Training and Royal Jelly on Hippocampal Cannabinoid-1-Receptors and Pain Threshold in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis in Rats as Animal Model of Multiple Sclerosis

Cannabinoid-1-receptors (CB1R) are therapeutic targets for both the treatment of autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), and some related symptoms such as pain. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of aerobic training and two dosages of royal jelly (RJ) on hippocampal CB1R and pain threshold (PT) in an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model. To this end, 56 female Sprague-Dawley rats with EAE were randomly assigned to one of the following eight conditions: (1) EAE; (2) sham; (3) 50 mg/kg RJ (RJ50); (4) 100 mg/kg RJ (RJ100); (5) exercise training (ET); (6) ET + RJ50; (7) ET + RJ100; and (8) not EAE or healthy control (HC). Endurance training was performed for five weeks, four sessions per week at a speed of 11–15 m/min for 30 min, and RJ was injected peritoneally at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg/day). One-way analysis of variance and Tukey’s post hoc tests were performed to identify group-related differences in pain threshold (PT) and CB1R gene expression. Endurance training had no significant effect on PT and hippocampal CB1R in rats with EAE. CB1R gene expression levels in the RJ100 group were higher than in the EAE group. Further, PT levels in the ETRJ50 and ETRJ100 groups were higher than in the EAE group. The combination of ET and RJ50 had a higher impact on PT and CB1R, when compared to the ET and RJ50 alone. Next, there was a dose-response between RJ-induced CB1R gene expression and RJ dosages: higher dosages of RJ increased the CB1R gene expression. The overall results suggest that the combination of ET and increasing RJ dosages improved pain threshold probably related to CB1R in an EAE model, while this was not observed for ET or RJ alone.