Ali Amira Mohammed, Kunugi Hiroshi
Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo 187-0031, Japan.
Department of Psychiatric Nursing and Mental Health, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21527, Egypt.
Foods. 2020 Sep 25;9(10):1362. doi: 10.3390/foods9101362.
The global pandemic of sarcopenia, skeletal muscle loss and weakness, which prevails in up to 50% of older adults is increasing worldwide due to the expansion of aging populations. It is now striking young and midlife adults as well because of sedentary lifestyle and increased intake of unhealthy food (e.g., western diet). The lockdown measures and economic turndown associated with the current outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) are likely to increase the prevalence of sarcopenia by promoting sedentarism and unhealthy patterns of eating. Sarcopenia has multiple detrimental effects including falls, hospitalization, disability, and institutionalization. Although a few pharmacological agents (e.g., bimagrumab, sarconeos, and exercise mimetics) are being explored in different stages of trials, not a single drug has been approved for sarcopenia treatment. Hence, research has focused on testing the effect of nutraceuticals, such as bee products, as safe treatments to prevent and/or treat sarcopenia. Royal jelly, propolis, and bee pollen are common bee products that are rich in highly potent antioxidants such as flavonoids, phenols, and amino acids. These products, in order, stimulate larval development into queen bees, promote defenses of the bee hive against microbial and environmental threats, and increase royal jelly production by nurse bees. Thanks to their versatile pharmacological activities (e.g., anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, antimicrobial, etc.), these products have been used to treat multiple chronic conditions that predispose to muscle wasting such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disorder, and cancer, to name a few. They were also used in some evolving studies to treat sarcopenia in laboratory animals and, to a limited degree, in humans. However, a collective understanding of the effect and mechanism of action of these products in skeletal muscle is not well-developed. Therefore, this review examines the literature for possible effects of royal jelly, bee pollen, and propolis on skeletal muscle in aged experimental models, muscle cell cultures, and humans. Collectively, data from reviewed studies denote varying levels of positive effects of bee products on muscle mass, strength, and function. The likely underlying mechanisms include amelioration of inflammation and oxidative damages, promotion of metabolic regulation, enhancement of satellite stem cell responsiveness, improvement of muscular blood supply, inhibition of catabolic genes, and promotion of peripheral neuronal regeneration. This review offers suggestions for other mechanisms to be explored and provides guidance for future trials investigating the effects of bee products among people with sarcopenia.
肌肉减少症是一种骨骼肌流失和虚弱的全球性疾病，在高达50%的老年人中普遍存在，由于老年人口的增加，其在全球范围内呈上升趋势。由于久坐不动的生活方式和不健康食物（如西式饮食）摄入量的增加，它现在也在影响年轻人和中年人。与当前2019年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）疫情相关的封锁措施和经济衰退可能会通过促进久坐不动和不健康的饮食模式而增加肌肉减少症的患病率。肌肉减少症有多种有害影响，包括跌倒、住院、残疾和入住养老院。尽管一些药物制剂（如比马鲁单抗、sarconeos和运动模拟物）正处于不同阶段的试验中，但尚无一种药物被批准用于治疗肌肉减少症。因此，研究集中在测试营养保健品（如蜂产品）作为预防和/或治疗肌肉减少症的安全疗法的效果。蜂王浆、蜂胶和蜂花粉是常见的蜂产品，富含黄酮类化合物、酚类和氨基酸等高活性抗氧化剂。这些产品依次刺激幼虫发育成蜂王、促进蜂巢抵御微生物和环境威胁的防御能力以及增加哺育蜂的蜂王浆产量。由于它们具有多种药理活性（如抗衰老、抗炎、抗癌、抗菌等），这些产品已被用于治疗多种易导致肌肉萎缩的慢性疾病，如高血压、糖尿病、心血管疾病和癌症等。它们也被用于一些正在进行的研究中，以治疗实验动物的肌肉减少症，并在一定程度上用于人类。然而，对于这些产品在骨骼肌中的作用效果和作用机制尚无全面的认识。因此，本综述查阅了相关文献，以探讨蜂王浆、蜂花粉和蜂胶对老年实验模型、肌肉细胞培养物和人类骨骼肌可能产生的影响。总体而言，综述研究的数据表明蜂产品对肌肉质量、力量和功能有不同程度的积极影响。可能的潜在机制包括减轻炎症和氧化损伤、促进代谢调节、增强卫星干细胞反应性、改善肌肉血液供应、抑制分解代谢基因以及促进外周神经再生。本综述为有待探索的其他机制提供了建议，并为未来研究蜂产品对肌肉减少症患者影响的试验提供了指导。
