Antidiabetic efficacy of a honey-royal jelly mixture: Biochemical study in rats

OBJECTIVES: The current tools for the management of diabetes mellitus (DM) do not prevent its development or complications, so investigations into promising new treatments, for example, honey-royal jelly (H-RJ) mixtures, are needed. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of royal jelly on DM by measuring the biochemical parameters (fasting blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin [HbA1c]) accompanying streptozotocin (i.p. 75 mg/kg once)-induced type 1 DM (T1DM) in rats. Other objectives were to evaluate the effects of H-RJ on lipid parameters. METHODS: Ten healthy control male Sprague-Dawley rats (120–150 g) were compared to untreated T1DM (n = 10), metformin-treated T1DM (n = 10), and H-RJ-treated T1DM rats (n = 10) on plasma and whole-blood glycemic control indices (fasting blood glucose, HbA1c %, insulin, and insulin resistance) and plasma lipid profile (triglycerides [TGs] and total, low-density lipoprotein -, high-density lipoprotein -, and very low-density lipoprotein [VLDL]-cholesterol). Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (SZT) at 75 mg/kg body weight (BW). The T1DM-H-RJ rat group received daily RJ (100 mg/kg BW). Parametric data are presented as mean ± SD and were analyzed for comparison using one-way ANOVA in SPSS software. RESULTS: H-RJ normalized glycemic control indices, but its effect on lipid parameters was variable. H-RJ and metformin had comparable effects. The H-RJ treatment caused a significant reduction in plasma VLDL-C content in comparison to the control treatment and metformin. The limitation of this study is that it was restricted to T1DM and did not involve type 2 DM. In addition, the study was limited to male Sprague-Dawley rats, with no females. CONCLUSION: The H-RJ mixture is a promising antidiabetic alternative medicine. It effectively reduces VLDL-C and TG in diabetic rats.