Royal Jelly Have Anti-aging , Anti-cancer Properties Posted: 06-13-06 00:14am
royal jelly, also known as gelee royale
and rj, is the milky-white gelatinous
substance secreted from the cephalic
glands of nurse worker bees (apis
mellifera) for apparently the sole purpose
of stimulating the growth and development
of the queen bee. Without royal jelly,
the queen bee would be no different from
the worker bees and would live about as
long (seven to eight weeks). With royal
jelly, the queen bee can live five to
seven years. This fact explains the
popular belief that royal jelly has
rejuvenating qualities.
Royal jelly, however, has not lived up to
expectations that it is an important
anti-aging substance. But it is not
without medical interest. Royal jelly
consists of an emulsion of proteins,
sugars, lipids and some other substances
in a water base. Proteins make up about
13% of royal jelly. Most of the proteins
comprise a family called major royal jelly
proteins. One protein in royal jelly
called royalsin possesses antibiotic
properties against gram-positive, but not
gram-negative, bacteria. About 11% of
royal jelly is made up of sugars, such as
fructose and glucose, similar to those
found in honey. Lipids comprise about 5%
of the substance and consist mainly of
medium-chain hydroxy fatty acids, such as
trans-10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid, which is
also thought to possess antimicrobial
properties.
Royal jelly also contains vitamins, such
as pantothenic acid, minerals and
phytosterols. Neopterin, or 2-amino-6-
(1,2,3-trihydroxypropyl)-4
(3h)-pteridinone, was initially isolated
from royal jelly. Neopterin is also found
in humans, and, although its precise role
is not known, it appears to play an
important role in the human immune system.
Indications and usage
royal jelly may have favorable lipid
effects, including cholesterol-lowering
effects. There is very preliminary
evidence that it may have some antibiotic,
immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory,
wound-healing and anti-cancer effects.