Inhibitory activity of royal jelly on pro-inflammatory cytokine production using a novel efficient lyophilization technique

• HE retained a higher amount 10-HDA content than TF. • HE was more effective than TF in inhibiting the production of these pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. • HE-processed royal jelly demonstrated a stronger inhibitory effect when added before inflammation induction. Royal jelly has been shown to effectively inhibit the production of the three cytokines associated with cytokine storm. The present study compared freeze-dried royal jelly powder produced using traditional freeze-drying (TF) and high-efficiency fast freeze-drying (HE) and investigated the inhibitory effects of royal jelly on the production of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α by using the LPS-Stimulated macrophage J774.1 in prophylactic and inflammatory models. The HE technique was observed to be more effective than the traditional freeze-drying method in inhibiting the production of the three pro-inflammatory cytokines, particularly in the prophylactic model where royal jelly was added prior to the induction of inflammation. Even no difference in crude protein content, the HE method retained a greater quantity of 10-HDA, indicating that the novel technique can effectively stabilize and preserve the active ingredients of royal jelly.