PHYTOFLORA IMMUNOLIX 500 MG

Major royal jelly protein 3 modulates immune responses in vitro and in vivo.

Fujisaki Institute, Hayashibara Biochemical Laboratories, Inc., 675-1 Fujisaki, 702-8006 Okayama, Japan. kohnok@hayashibara.co.jp

We have recently shown that royal jelly has potent antiallergic properties in a mouse model of immediate hypersensitivity. However, it is still unclear which components of royal jelly exhibit antiallergic activity. In this study, we have screened for antiallergic factors in royal jelly based on inhibition of IL-4 production by anti-CD3 stimulated spleen cells derived from OVA/alum-immunized mice. Using a series of column chromatographies, we purified a 70 kDa glycoprotein, major royal jelly protein 3 (MRJP3), that suppresses IL-4 production. In in vitro experiments, MRJP3 suppressed the production of not only IL-4 but also that of IL-2 and IFN-gamma by T cells concomitant with inhibition of proliferation. The MRJP3-mediated suppression of IL-4 production was also evident when lymph node cells from OVA/alum-immunized mice were stimulated with OVA plus antigen presenting cells. We next examined the purified suppressive factor on OVA/alum-induced allergic responses in mice. Interestingly, in spite of the antigenicity of MRJP3 itself as an extraneous foreign protein, intraperitoneal administration of MRJP3 inhibited serum anti-OVA IgE and IgG1 levels in immunized mice. In addition, heat-treated soluble MRJP3 treatment reduced its antigenicity while maintaining its inhibitory effects on antibody responses to OVA. These results indicate that MRJP3 can exhibit potent immunoregulatory effects in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, considering the intriguing immunomodulatory effects of MRJP3, it may be of clinical significance to design MRJP3-derived antiallergic peptides by identifying the associated polypeptide regions.

PMID: 12899927 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

A royal jelly as a new potential immunomodulator in rats and mice.

Department of Biology, University of Zagreb, Croatia.

In order to study a possible immunomodulatory effect of the royal jelly (RJ) secreted by mandibular and hypopharingeal glands of the worker honeybee (Apis mellifera Linne.) we have used a well established rodent model. The CBA mice were given s.c. 0.1 ml of RJ, 7 days before, or immediately after, the immunization with sheep red blood cells (SRBC). The Y59 rats received i.m. 0.4 ml or i.v. 0.025 ml of RJ once or twice at 7 day intervals. Serum levels of total proteins and immunoglobulins in the rats that received RJ once or twice within a 2-week-period were significantly lower (P < or = 0.05) as compared with the nontreated animals. In mice which were immunized with 4 x 10(8) of SRBC 7 days after the application of RJ the number of plaque forming splenocytes was significantly higher (P < or = 0.05) than that in the controls. Both the weight of inguinal lymph node and the number of peripheral blood lymphocytes were increased (P < or = 0.05) in RJ-treated mice 3 or 5 days after the immunization, respectively. Neutrophils were decreased (P < or = 0.05) in the mice that were killed 5 or 10 days after the RJ treatment. Overall these results indicate that RJ exhibited immunomodulatory properties by stimulating antibody production and immunocompetent cell proliferation in mice or depressing humoral immune functions in rats. Both phenomena, though species-related in this model, could probably be reversed by changing the dose or the route of RJ application.

PMID: 8654043 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Chloramphenicol in royal jelly: analytical aspects and occurrence in Italian imports

Silvano Calvarese, Anna Francesca Forti, Giampiero Scortichini and Gianfranco Diletti

Abstract - Chloramphenicol (CAP) residues were determined in 35 samples of royal jelly. Fourteen samples were collected by Veterinary Border Inspection officials in Milan and Turin and 21 were submitted by private importers to confirm the quality of their product. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used for the identification and determination of CAP, according to the isotope dilution approach for the analysis of royal jelly. The presence of chloramphenicol was detected in 29 out of 35 tested samples at concentrations ranging from 0.6 $\mu$ g/kg to 28 $\mu$ g/kg, with an average content of 6.1 $\mu$ g/kg.