Objective:
The present study was conducted to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism as well as the potential hepatoprotective effects of royal jelly (RJ) against hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury.
Methods:
Rats were assigned into four groups; sham (received vehicle), IR (30 minutes ischemia and 45 minutes reperfusion), sham
pretreated with RJ (200 mg/kg P.O.), and IR pretreated with RJ (200 mg/kg P.O.). The experiment has lasted for 28 days.
Results:
Hepatic IR significantly induced hepatic dysfunctions, as manifested by elevation of serum transaminases, ALP and LDH
levels. Moreover, hepatic IR caused a significant up-regulation of P38-MAPK, NF-κB-p65, TNF-α and MDA levels along with
marked down-regulation of Nrf-2, HO-1, COX-4, cytoglobin, IκBa, IL-10, GSH, GST and SOD levels. Additionally, marked histopathological changes were observed after hepatic IR injury. On the contrary, pretreatment with RJ significantly improved hepatic
functions along with the alleviation of histopathological changes. Moreover, RJ restored oxidant/antioxidant balance as well as hepatic expressions of Nrf-2, HO-1, COX-4, and cytoglobin. Simultaneously, RJ significantly mitigated the inflammatory response by
down-regulation of P38-MAPK, NF-κB-p65, TNF-α expression.
Conclusion:
The present results revealed that RJ has successfully protected the liver against hepatic IR injury through modulation of
cytoglobin, Nrf-2/HO-1/COX-4, and P38-MAPK/NF-κB-p65/TNF-α signaling pathways.
