Royal jelly abrogates flouride-induced oxidative damage in rat heart tissue by activating of the nrf-2/NF-κB and bcl-2/bax pathway

Abstract

Royal jelly is known to strengthen memory, provide antioxidative, antidiabetic, antitumor, anticancer, antibacterial, antiinflammatory, antihypertensive. In this study, 42 rats (n = 42) were used, and these rats were divided into 6 groups of 7 rats each. Groups: (i) Control Group: Group fed with standard diet; (ii) Royal Jelly (RJ) Group: RJ (100 mg/kg bw, gavage); (iii) F50 Group: Fluoride (50 mg/kg bw, drinking water); (iv) F100 Group: F (100 mg/kg bw, drinking water); (v) F50 + RJ Group: F (50 mg/kg bw, drinking water) + RJ (100 mg/kg bw, gavage); (vi) F100 + RJ Group: F (100 mg/kg bw, drinking water) + RJ (100 mg/kg bw, gavage). The rats were decapitated after 8 weeks, and their heart tissues were taken and examined. Lipid peroxidation by MDA (malondialdehyde) analyzes, GSH (glutathione) level and catalase activity were determined by spectrophotometer. Protein expression levels of caspase-3, caspase-6, caspase-9, Bcl-2, Bax, BDNF, Gsk-3, Nrf-2 and NF-κB proteins in heart tissue were determined by western blotting technique and hearth tissue evaluated by histopathologically. As a result, MDA levels, Bcl-2, Gsk-3 and NF-κB protein expression levels were reduced, whereas GSH levels, caspase-3, caspase-9, caspase-6, Bax, BDNF and Nrf-2 protein levels were increased in the F50 + RJ and F100 + RJ groups compared to the F50 and F100 groups. According to the results of this study, it has been concluded that Royal jelly has the potential to be developed in to a drug for treatment of heart diseases in addition to providing protection against heart damage.

Keywords:

• Bax
• Gsk-3
• Fluoride
• Heart tissue damage
• Royal jelly

Acknowledgments

Some parts results of this manuscript submitted as orally at the 9^th International Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Congress (6-10 December 2020, Kars, Turkey) and Ejons 11^th International Conference on Mathematics, Engineering, Natural & Medical Sciences (30-31 January 2021, Karak, Jordan).

Author contributions

AA: wrote the article, review-editing, investigation, methodology, formal analysis, SB: laboratuary analysis, reading article, formal analysis, OG: laboratuary analysis, reading article, formal analysis MIC: laboratuary analysis, reading article, formal analysis, GP: laboratuary analysis, reading article, IHO: histopathological analysis, formal analysis, RG: review-editing.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Firat University Research Projects Unit (FUBAP) [Grant No. FF.19.16].