Antidiabetic efficacy of a honey-royal jelly mixture: Biochemical study in rats.

OBJECTIVES

The current tools for the management of diabetes mellitus (DM) do not prevent its development or complications, so investigations into promising new treatments, for example, honey-royal jelly (H-RJ) mixtures, are needed. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of royal jelly on DM by measuring the biochemical parameters (fasting blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin [HbA1c]) accompanying streptozotocin (i.p. 75 mg/kg once)-induced type 1 DM (T1DM) in rats. Other objectives were to evaluate the effects of H-RJ on lipid parameters.

METHODS

Ten healthy control male Sprague-Dawley rats (120-150 g) were compared to untreated T1DM ( = 10), metformin-treated T1DM ( = 10), and H-RJ-treated T1DM rats ( = 10) on plasma and whole-blood glycemic control indices (fasting blood glucose, HbA1c %, insulin, and insulin resistance) and plasma lipid profile (triglycerides [TGs] and total, low-density lipoprotein -, high-density lipoprotein -, and very low-density lipoprotein [VLDL]-cholesterol). Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (SZT) at 75 mg/kg body weight (BW). The T1DM-H-RJ rat group received daily RJ (100 mg/kg BW). Parametric data are presented as mean ± SD and were analyzed for comparison using one-way ANOVA in SPSS software.

RESULTS

H-RJ normalized glycemic control indices, but its effect on lipid parameters was variable. H-RJ and metformin had comparable effects. The H-RJ treatment caused a significant reduction in plasma VLDL-C content in comparison to the control treatment and metformin. The limitation of this study is that it was restricted to T1DM and did not involve type 2 DM. In addition, the study was limited to male Sprague-Dawley rats, with no females.

CONCLUSION

The H-RJ mixture is a promising antidiabetic alternative medicine. It effectively reduces VLDL-C and TG in diabetic rats.