Bee Product Royal Jelly Reduces Oxidative Stress in Healthy MRC-5 Cells and Upregulates GSTP1 Expression

Redox homeostasis in the human body is strictly regulated by reducing molecules, such as glutathione, as well as various antioxidant enzymes. Examination of the antioxidant effects of natural products is necessary in order to prevent and treat various pathological conditions considering the correlation of their occurrence with oxidative stress damage. RJ has been identified as a very potent regulator of many metabolic processes and is considered as a medicinal agent that can cope with the oxidative stress. The present study evaluated the RJ’s ability to scavenge superoxide anion radicals O2∙− and modulate the expression of GSTP1 marker in healthy lung fibroblasts (MRC-5 cell line) after 24 h. Assessment was performed with the NBT test and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Our results show that RJ successfully reduced the O2∙− concentration for ~12% and upregulated GSTP1 gene expression (1.75 fold-change) whose protein product is responsible for catalyzation of glutathione (GSH) binding to oxidative stress metabolites and their further neutralization in cells. We found that RJ has an important protective effect against oxidative damage of healthy human cells and these properties could be used to explore new resources for pharmacological treatments, as well as to improve application of natural medicine for maintaining human health.