Investigating the effect of royal jelly and nanosilver particles on kidney and liver cytokines

Background and aims: Cytokines play crucial roles in immune responses. Nanoparticles, such as nanosilver (NS), are widely used to improve drug delivery. It has been reported that NS may affect immune cell functions. Royal jelly (RJ) has protective roles against several molecules, including free radicals and other harmful molecules. This project was designed to explore the influential role of RJ and NS in the immune response in the livers and kidneys of rats. Methods: In this study, 40 rats were divided into control, RJ, NS, and RJ-NS-treated groups. The rats were treated with RJ, NS, and their combination. Further, levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10), IL-13, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and C-C motif chemokine ligand 3 (CCL3) in the liver and kidney were evaluated using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. Results: The results demonstrated that NS reduced the CCL3 and TNF-α levels in the liver and kidney, respectively. In addition, RJ decreased IL-13 levels in both kidney and liver tissues. In the kidney, IL-13 levels were significantly reduced in the RJ group compared to the control (P=0.043) and NS-RJ (P=0.002) groups. In the liver, IL-13 levels also decreased in the RJ group compared to the control group (P=0.050). Conclusion: Based on the results, RJ significantly protects macrophage functions, the main cells that produce TNF-α and respond to CCL3. RJ may also improve the pathogenesis of IL-13-related diseases. RJ could neutralize the effects of NS on CCL3 and TNF-α levels.