Antioxidant Activity of Royal Jelly Hydrolysates Obtained by Enzymatic Treatment.

Recently, research on the processing of raw functional materials with the aim of improving various physiological activities has been conducted. In this study, we investigated the antioxidant activity of royal jelly (RJ) hydrolysates obtained from three commercial proteases. Enzyme-treated royal jelly (ERJ), in which the RJ hydrolysates were converted into easy-to-absorb shorter chain monomers through the removal of two known allergen proteins, showed no difference in the content of (E)-10-hydroxydec-2-enoicacid (10-HDA) or the freshness parameter and showed a significant increase in total free amino acid content. The antioxidant activity of ERJ was determined by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and chemical assays. The ERJ showed about 80% DPPH-radical scavenging activity at same concentration of ascorbic acid. The antioxidant effect of ERJ was confirmed to be due to reduction of intracellular reactive oxidative species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) production in LPS-treated macrophages. Moreover, ERJ significantly increased the activity of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the level of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH) in a dose-dependent manner. Interestingly, these antioxidant activities of ERJ were stronger than those of non-treated RJ. These findings indicate that ERJ has high potential as an antioxidant agent for use in human and animal diets.

Effects of 7-MEGATM 500 on Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Skin Regeneration in H2O2-Treated Skin Cells.

Environmental stimuli can lead to the excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which is one of the risk factors for premature skin aging. Here, we investigated the protective effects of 7-MEGATM 500 (50% palmitoleic acid, 7-MEGA) against oxidative stress-induced cellular damage and its underlying therapeutic mechanisms in the HaCaT human skin keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT cells). Our results showed that treatment with 7-MEGA prior to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced damage significantly increased the viability of HaCaT cells. 7-MEGA effectively attenuated generation of H2O2-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS), and inhibited H2O2-induced inflammatory factors, such as prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß). In addition, cells treated with 7-MEGA exhibited significantly decreased expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and increased expression of procollagen type 1 (PCOL1) and Elastin against oxidative stress by H2O2. Interestingly, these protective activities of 7-MEGA were similar in scope and of a higher magnitude than those seen with 98.5% palmitoleic acid (PA) obtained from Sigma when given at the same concentration (100 nL/mL). According to our data, 7-MEGA is able to protect HaCaT cells from H2O2-induced damage through inhibiting cellular oxidative stress and inflammation. Moreover, 7-MEGA may affect skin elasticity maintenance and improve skin wrinkles. These findings indicate that 7-MEGA may be useful as a food supplement for skin health.