Royal Jelly Feeding as a Main Inducer of Bcl-2-associated X Protein in the Peripheral Blood Immune Cells of Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B

Abstract

Aim: Chemokines, cytokines, and their related molecules play crucial roles in the fight against the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and its related complications. Royal jelly (RJ) is considered an immunomodulatory factor for humans. This clinical trial study aimed to explore the RJ effects on the relative expression of CCL2, CCL3, CCL8, IFN-β, NANOG, OCT4, BAX, and MAVS in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. Methods: The CHB patients were under one month of RJ treatment, 1 g/d. The relative expressions of CCL2, CCL3, CCL8, IFN-β, NANOG, OCT4, BAX, and MAVS were evaluated using the real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. Results: RJ feeding significantly increased the expression of BAX in the peripheral blood immune cells of CHB patients. However, relative expressions of CCL2, CCL3, CCL8, IFN-β, NANOG, OCT4, and MAVS were not altered following RJ feeding. Conclusion: RJ can modulate immune responses via induction of homeostasis in the peripheral blood immune cells of CHB patients. Reduced inflammation following RJ feeding may be a result of homeostasis in the peripheral blood immune cells.