Table 1.
Effect of Royal jelly and its components on lifespan and healthspan in different species.
| RJ/RJ Components | Species | Effect on Lifespan | Effect on Healthspan | Main Mechanism of Action | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RJ | Apis mellifera (worker) | No effect on lifespan | ↑ Ovarian activation | NI—Inability to defecate in 100% RJ-fed bees | [60] |
| RJ | Apis mellifera (worker) | ↑ Mean lifespan | ↑ Ovarian activation | NI | [63] |
| RJ | Apis mellifera (worker) | -- | ↑ Ovarian activation | ↑ Brain levels of tyrosine, dopamine, and tyramine | [61] |
| RJ + Ach | Apis mellifera (larvae) | ↑ Mean lifespan | -- | NI—possibly the trophic effects of Ach mediated via muscarinic or nicotinic receptors | [56] |
| RJ RJP60 |
Apis mellifera (worker) | ↑ Mean and maximum lifespan | -- | NI Lower DNA methylation levels |
[15] |
| RJ | Apis mellifera (worker) | ↑ Mean lifespan | ↑ Expression of memory genes | NI | [62] |
| RJ, heat-treated RJ, pKRJ, RJ plus MRJP1 vs RJ plus MRJPs2,3,5 | Apis mellifera (larvae) | ↑ Mean lifespan (except MRJP1) | ↑ Ovarian activation | NI | [25] |
| Dehydrated RJ RJ pantothenic acid RJ organic acids |
Drosophila M. | ↑ Mean lifespan | -- | NI Synergizing action of other vitamins |
[54] |
| RJ | Drosophila M. | ↑ Mean lifespan (both sexes) | -- | ↑ Anti-oxidation capacity--SOD and CAT levels | [64] |
| RJ, royalactin |
Drosophila Canton-S Apis mellifera (larvae) |
↑ Mean lifespan | ↑ Body size ↑ Cell size ↑ Eggs laying ↓ Developmental time |
↑ EGFR-mediated signaling pathway, S6K, MAPK, juvenile hormone titre, 20E titre | [41] |
| Freeze-dried RJ | Drosophila M. | ↑ Mean lifespan (males only) | ↓ Developmental time ↑ Eggs laying |
↓ Insulin/IGF-1 (dilp5) signaling ↓ Target of Rapamycin signaling |
[17] |
| RJ | Drosophila Canton S | No effect on lifespan | ↑ Body size | ↑ Gene expression related to oxidative stress and catabolism | [16] |
| MRJPs | Drosophila M. | ↑ Mean and maximum lifespan (both sexes) | ↑ Feeding ↑ Eggs laying |
↑ Anti-oxidation capacity—CuZn-SOD signaling ↑ EGFR-mediated signaling |
[12] |
| RJ |
Gryllus bimaculatus crickets silkworms |
↑ Mean lifespan in crickets (both sexes) | ↑ Eggs size (silkworms) ↑ Body size ↓ Developmental time, |
NI | [65] |
| RJ, pRJ, pRJ-Fr.5, 10-HDA |
C. elegans | ↑ Mean lifespan | -- | ↓ Insulin/IGF-1 and ins-9 signaling | [52] |
| Royalactin | C. elegans | ↑ Mean lifespan | ↑ Locomotion in early and mid-adulthood | ↑ EGFR-mediated signaling pathway | [68] |
| 10-HDA | C. elegans | ↑ Mean lifespan | ↑ Stress resistance | ↓ Insulin/IGF-1 signaling ↓ Target of Rapamycin signaling ↑ Dietary Restriction |
[66] |
| RJ, pRJ | C. elegans | ↑ Mean lifespan | ↑ Stress resistance | ↓ Insulin/IGF-1 signaling | [67] |
| Powdered RJ | C3H/HeJ mice | ↑ Mean lifespan | -- | ↓ Oxidative stress and DNA damage | [2] |
| RJ | Male Swiss albino mice | ↑ Survival time after NaNO2 IP injection | -- | NI | [71] |
| RJ, pRJ | D-galactose induced aging mice model | -- | ↓ Atrophy of thymus ↓ Weight loss ↓ Locomotor decline ↑ Learning and memory |
↓ Oxidative stress | [69] |
| RJ, pRJ | HET mice | No effect on lifespan | ↓ Muscle atrophy ↓ Age-related motor impairment |
↑ Muscle satellite cell (muscle stem cell) markers Suppression of catabolic genes |
[70] |
Abbreviations. RJ: royal jelly; ↑: increase; ↓: decrease; NI: not investigated; Ach: acetylcholine; RJP60: RJ protein attained by precipitation with 60% ammonium sulfate; EGRF: epidermal growth factor receptor; MRJPs: major royal jelly proteins; pKRJ: protease K-treated RJ; SOD: superoxide dismutase; CAT: catalase; 20E: 20-hydroxyecdysone; pRJ: protease-treated RJ; pRJ-Fr.5: protease-treated-fraction 5; 10-HDA: 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid; IP: intraperitoneal; HET: genetically heterogeneous head tilt.