Royal jelly enhances migration of human dermal fibroblasts and alters the levels of cholesterol and sphinganine in an in vitro wound healing model

Oral administration of royal jelly (RJ) promotes wound healing in diabetic mice. Concerns have arisen regarding the efficacy of RJ on the wound healing process of normal skin cells. In this study, a wound was created by scratching normal human dermal fibroblasts, one of the major cells involved in the wound healing process. The area was promptly treated with RJ at varying concentrations of 0.1, 1.0, or 5 mg/ml for up to 48 hrs and migration was analyzed by evaluating closure of the wound margins. Furthermore, altered levels of lipids, which were recently reported to participate in the wound healing process, were analyzed by HPTLC and HPLC. Migration of fibroblasts peaked at 24 hrs after wounding. RJ treatment significantly accelerated the migration of fibroblasts in a dose-dependent manner at 8 hrs. Although RJ also accelerated the migration of fibroblasts at both 20 hrs and 24 hrs after wounding, the efficacy was less potent than at 8 hrs. Among various lipid classes within fibroblasts, the level of cholesterol was significantly decreased at 8 hrs following administration of both 0.1 ug/ml and 5 mg/ml RJ. Despite a dose-dependent increase in sphinganines, the levels of sphingosines, ceramides, and glucosylceramides were not altered with any concentration of RJ. We demonstrated that RJ enhances the migration of fibroblasts and alters the levels of various lipids involved in the wound healing process.