Nutr Res Pract.  2010 Oct;4(5):362-368.

Royal jelly enhances migration of human dermal fibroblasts and alters the levels of cholesterol and sphinganine in an in vitro wound healing model

• Kim J
• Kim Y
• Yun H
• Park H
• Kim SY
• Lee KG
• Han SM
• Cho Y

Abstract

Oral administration of royal jelly (RJ) promotes wound healing in diabetic mice. Concerns have arisen regarding the efficacy of RJ on the wound healing process of normal skin cells. In this study, a wound was created by scratching normal human dermal fibroblasts, one of the major cells involved in the wound healing process. The area was promptly treated with RJ at varying concentrations of 0.1, 1.0, or 5 mg/ml for up to 48 hrs and migration was analyzed by evaluating closure of the wound margins. Furthermore, altered levels of lipids, which were recently reported to participate in the wound healing process, were analyzed by HPTLC and HPLC. Migration of fibroblasts peaked at 24 hrs after wounding. RJ treatment significantly accelerated the migration of fibroblasts in a dose-dependent manner at 8 hrs. Although RJ also accelerated the migration of fibroblasts at both 20 hrs and 24 hrs after wounding, the efficacy was less potent than at 8 hrs. Among various lipid classes within fibroblasts, the level of cholesterol was significantly decreased at 8 hrs following administration of both 0.1 ug/ml and 5 mg/ml RJ. Despite a dose-dependent increase in sphinganines, the levels of sphingosines, ceramides, and glucosylceramides were not altered with any concentration of RJ. We demonstrated that RJ enhances the migration of fibroblasts and alters the levels of various lipids involved in the wound healing process.

Keyword

Royal jelly (RJ); wound healing; human dermal fibroblast; cholesterol; sphinganine

MeSH Terms

Administration, Oral
Animals
Ceramides
Cholesterol
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
Fatty Acids
Fibroblasts
Glucosylceramides
Humans
Mice
Skin
Sphingosine
Wound Healing
Ceramides
Cholesterol
Fatty Acids
Glucosylceramides
Sphingosine

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Viability of cells treated with RJ as measured by the MTT assay. Values are mean ± SE.

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  Fig. 2 RJ induced migration of human dermal fibroblasts in an in vitro wound models. (A) Human dermal fibroblasts were grown to confluence and an in vitro wound was produced using a sterile scraper. 0.1 µg/ml, 1 µg/ml or 5 µg/ml of RJ was treated immediately after wounding. Migration was monitored for up to 48 hrs. Some fields were photographed immediately after wounding. Bold lines represented in vitro scratch and thin lines represent the migration front. A representative experiment is shown. (B) Histograms indicate the average coverage of scratch wounds widths in % relative to baseline wound width at 4, 8 and 20 hrs after Royal Jelly treatments. The % of wound coverage was measured using scan image. Values are mean ± SE (n = 9). Means with different letters at each time differ P < 0.05.

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  Fig. 3 RJ regulated lipid composition in normal human dermal fibroblasts. Normal human fibroblasts were grown to confluence and an in vitro wound was produced using a sterile scraper. 0.1 µg/ml, 1 µg/ml or 5 µg/ml of RJ was treated for 24 hrs immediately after wounding. Total lipids were extracted and the altered level of lipid composition were analyses by HPTLC (A) and HPLC (B). Values are mean ± SE (n = 9). Means with different letters at each differ P < 0.05. GC ; Glucosylceramide, TG ; Triglyceride.

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