Biomedical Research

Prolonged excessive ingestion or consumption of alcohol eventually results in hepatic insuffi-ciency; induces the aggravation of viral hepatitis and/or fatty liver. The long term ingestion of alcohol not only induces a decline in the immune function but also promotes the produc-tion of inflammatory cytokines by Kupffer cells activated by enterobacterial endotoxins. Royal Jelly has numerous functions, such as for the maintenance of health, immunopotentia-tion and age-retarding etc. Furthermore, Royal Jelly functions as a potent immunomodula-tor, such as Royal Jelly ameliorates stress-associated immune dysfunction. An alcoholic he-patic insufficiency mouse model was constructed by feeding it a liquid diet containing 5 % ethanol and features of the innate immune system were observed to assess whether Royal Jelly has any effect on alcohol-induced liver insufficiency. The data reveal that Royal Jelly administration (1) exhibits prophylactic effect on alcohol-induced hepatomegaly and (2) functions in restoration of transaminase levels caused by impaired hepatocytes. Royal Jelly-modulated important immune phenomena on alcoholic liver injury include (1) activation of liver natural killer cells and (2) control of the levels of IL-4, IL-5, and TNF-alpha in the se-rum. These findings provide evidence that Royal Jelly might have the capacity to restore the function of the immune system in individuals with alcoholic liver diseases.

Author(s): Changchun Li, Md. Kaiissar Mannoor, Nami Toma, Tomoyo Taniguchi, Masashi Inafuku, Ki-kuji Yamaguchi, Yoshiya Sato and Hisami Watanabe
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