Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21568, Egypt.
Department of Bee Research, Plant Protection Research Institute, Agricultural Research Centre, Giza 12627, Egypt.
Nutrients. 2022 Dec 27;15(1):119. doi: 10.3390/nu15010119.
Honeybee products arouse interest in society due to their natural origin and range of important biological properties. Propolis (P) and royal jelly (RJ) attract scientists' attention because they exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-tumor, and immunomodulatory abilities. In this study, we tested whether P and RJ could mitigate the adverse effects of cadmium (Cd) exposure, with particular emphasis on the reproductive function in female rats. In this line, one week of pretreatment was established. Six experimental groups were created, including (i) the control group (without any supplementation), (ii) the Cd group (receiving CdCl in a dose of 4.5 mg/kg/day), (iii) the P group (50 mg of P/kg/day), (iv) RJ group (200 mg of RJ/kg/day), (v) P + Cd group (rats pretreated with P and then treated with P and Cd simultaneously), (vi) RJ + Cd group (animals pretreated with RJ before receiving CdCl simultaneously with RJ). Cd treatment of rats adversely affected a number of measured parameters, including body weight, ovarian structure and ultrastructure, oxidative stress parameters, increased ovarian Cd content and prolonged the estrous cycle. Pretreatment and then cotreatment with P or RJ and Cd alleviated the adverse effects of Cd, transferring the clusters in the PCA analysis chart toward the control group. However, clusters for cotreated groups were still distinctly separated from the control and P, or RJ alone treated groups. Most likely, investigated honeybee products can alter Cd absorption in the gut and/or increase its excretion through the kidneys and/or mitigate oxidative stress by various components. Undoubtedly, pretreatment with P or RJ can effectively prepare the organism to overcome harmful insults. Although the chemical composition of RJ and P is relatively well known, focusing on proportion, duration, and scheme of treatment, as well as the effects of particular components, may provide interesting data in the future. In the era of returning to natural products, both P and RJ seem valuable materials for further consideration as anti-infertility agents.
由于其天然来源和一系列重要的生物特性，蜜蜂产品引起了社会的兴趣。蜂胶 (P) 和蜂王浆 (RJ) 吸引了科学家的注意，因为它们具有抗氧化、抗炎、抗菌、抗肿瘤和免疫调节的能力。在这项研究中，我们测试了 P 和 RJ 是否可以减轻镉 (Cd) 暴露的不良影响，特别是对雌性大鼠生殖功能的影响。为此，我们建立了为期一周的预处理。创建了六个实验组，包括 (i) 对照组 (不补充任何物质)、(ii) Cd 组 (接受 4.5 mg/kg/天的 CdCl)、(iii) P 组 (50 mg/kg/天的 P)、(iv) RJ 组 (200 mg/kg/天的 RJ)、(v) P + Cd 组 (用 P 预处理的大鼠同时接受 P 和 Cd 治疗)、(vi) RJ + Cd 组 (用 RJ 预处理的动物同时接受 CdCl 和 RJ 治疗)。Cd 处理大鼠会对许多测量参数产生不利影响，包括体重、卵巢结构和超微结构、氧化应激参数、卵巢 Cd 含量增加和发情周期延长。用 P 或 RJ 预处理然后同时用 P 或 RJ 和 Cd 处理可减轻 Cd 的不利影响，将 PCA 分析图中的聚类转移到对照组。然而，与对照组和单独用 P 或 RJ 处理的组相比，同时处理组的聚类仍然明显分开。最有可能的是，研究的蜜蜂产品可以改变肠道对 Cd 的吸收，或通过肾脏增加其排泄，或通过各种成分减轻氧化应激。毫无疑问，用 P 或 RJ 预处理可以有效地使机体准备好克服有害刺激。尽管 RJ 和 P 的化学成分相对已知，但关注比例、持续时间和治疗方案以及特定成分的影响，可能会在未来提供有趣的数据。在回归天然产品的时代，P 和 RJ 似乎都是有价值的材料，可以进一步考虑作为抗不孕药物。
