Optimized determination method for trans-10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid content in royal jelly by high-performance liquid chromatography with an internal standard

An optimized reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed to detect the trans-10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA) content in royal jelly cream and lyophilized powder. The sample was extracted using absolute ethanol. Chromatographic separation of 10-HDA and methyl 4-hydroxybenzoate as the internal standard was performed on a Nova-pak C18 column. The average recoveries were 95.0-99.2% (n = 5) with relative standard deviation (RSD) values of 1.3-2.1% for royal jelly cream and 98.0-100.0% (n = 5) with RSD values of 1.6-3.0% for lyophilized powder, respectively. The limits of detection and quantitation were 0.5 and 1.5 mg/kg, respectively, for both royal jelly cream and lyophilized powder. The method was validated for the determination of practical royal jelly products. The concentration of 10-HDA ranged from 1.26 to 2.21% for pure royal jelly cream samples and 3.01 to 6.19% for royal jelly lyophilized powder samples. For 30 royal jelly products, the 10-HDA content varied from not detectable to 0.98%.     

Determination of trans-10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid content in pure royal jelly and royal jelly products by column liquid chromatography.

In this research, several royal jellies and commercial products containing royal jelly were analysed for their trans-10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA) content by using a column liquid chromatography technique. Ten samples claimed to be pure royal jelly, containing 10-HDA between 0.75 and 2.54%. Seven samples claimed to contain royal jelly as an ingredient which ranged from non-detectable to 0.054%. The technique was found to be rapid with high recovery.     

Separation and determination of 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid in royal jelly by capillary electrophoresis

Summary The application of capillary electrophoresis (CE) to the separation and determination of the active ingredient, 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid, in royal jelly with direct on-column UV detection at 214 nm is described. Using a cathodic injection and anodic detection scheme, 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA) was separated and detected in less than 10 min in a fused silica capillary column with a phosphate buffer at pH 7.3 with an applied voltage of 20 KV followed by direct UV detection. The use of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as electroosmotic flow modifier allows the rapid separation of 10-HDA from other constituents in royal jelly by reversing the direction of electroosmotic flow. The influence of organic solvents in the electrolyte on separation selectivity is also discussed.     

高效液相色谱法测定蜜蜂蜂体王浆酸

建立了蜂体中10－HDA的高效液相色谱分析方法。对10－HDA的提取方法进行了研究。在选择的最佳色谱条件下,线性范围为10～1000ng,r=0．9998,回收率96．5％～99．2％,检测限为0.53μg／g。     

Anti-Biofilm and Anti-Hemolysis Activities of 10-Hydroxy-2-decenoic Acid against Staphylococcus aureus

Persistent infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus biofilms pose a major threat to global public health. 10-Hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA), a main fatty acid in royal jelly, has been shown to possess various biological activities. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of 10-HDA on the biofilms and virulence of S. aureus and its potential molecular mechanism. Quantitative crystal violet staining indicated that 10-HDA significantly reduced the biofilm biomass at sub-minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) levels (1/32MIC to 1/2MIC). Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations demonstrated that 10-HDA inhibited the secretion of extracellular polymeric substances, decreased bacterial adhesion and aggregation, and disrupted biofilm architecture. Moreover, 10-HDA could significantly decrease the biofilm viability and effectively eradicated the mature biofilms. It was also found that the hemolytic activity of S. aureus was significantly inhibited by 10-HDA. qRT-PCR analyses revealed that the expressions of global regulators sarA, agrA, and α-hemolysin gene hla were downregulated by 10-HDA. These results indicate that 10-HDA could be used as a potential natural antimicrobial agent to control the biofilm formation and virulence of S. aureus.     

Antioxidant protection in cultured corneal cells and whole corneas submitted to UV-B exposure

Several corneal pathologies are characterized by the presence of reactive oxygen species (ROS); therefore, we evaluated the protection afforded by pirenoxine and melatonin to corneal cell culture and whole rabbit cornea from ultraviolet exposure and other oxidant systems. Rabbit cornea cell (SIRC) plates and whole corneas were exposed to UV-B (80 or 800 mJ/cm2) or incubated with fMLP-stimulated autologous macrophages, in the presence or absence of pirenoxine or melatonin (10(-5) M). The protective activity of compounds was assessed by measuring superoxide anion formation, inhibition of oxidation and mitochondrial viability. Moreover the ex vivo protective effect of pirenoxine and melatonin was verified in the whole cornea submitted to UV-B exposure in vitro. Our experimental data demonstrate that pirenoxine and melatonin were able to inhibit the superoxide formation and oxidative effect in cell culture and whole rabbit corneas submitted to UV-B exposure or to incubation with fMLP-stimulated autologous macrophages. Mitochondrial viability was restored in epithelial cells of rabbit cornea but not in SIRCs. Moreover, both compounds are also able to increase ex vivo epithelial corneal cell defences against the in vitro UV-B induced lipid peroxidation.     

快速测定蜂王浆中蜂王酸的分光光度法研究

本文提出了用差示分光光度法和一阶导数分光光度法测定蜂王浆中蜂王酸的含量，差示光谱最大测定波长为（＋）２２８．０ｎｍ；一阶导数光谱测定波长为（＋）２０４．５ｎｍ和（－）２３３．５ｎｍ。线性范围为０－２０μｇ／ｍｌ（差示分光光度法）和０－１５μｇ／ｍｌ（一阶异数分光光度法）。二法在实际测定中具有操作简便，快速和准确度高等优点。     

Anti-Tumor Effects of Queen Bee Acid (10-Hydroxy-2-Decenoic Acid) Alone and in Combination with Cyclophosphamide and Its Cellular Mechanisms against Ehrlich Solid Tumor in Mice

Queen bee acid or 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA) is one of the main and unique lipid components (fatty acids) in royal jelly. Previous studies have demonstrated that 10-HDA has various pharmacological and biological activities. The present study aims to evaluate the anti-tumor effects of 10-HDA alone and combined with cyclophosphamide (CP), as an alkylating agent which widely used for the treatment of neoplastic cancers, against the Ehrlich solid tumors (EST) in mice. Methods: A total of 72 female Swiss albino mice were divided into eight groups. EST mice were treated with 10-HDA (2.5 and 5 mg/kg) alone and combined with CP (25 mg/kg) orally once a day for 2 weeks. Tumor growth inhibition, body weight, the serum level of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and carcinoembryonic antigen tumor (CAE), liver and kidney enzymes, tumor lipid peroxidation (LPO) and nitric oxide (NO), antioxidant enzymes (e.g. glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase enzyme (CAT)), tumor necrosis factor alpha level (TNF-α), and the apoptosis-regulatory genes expression were assessed in tested mice. Results: the findings exhibited that treatment of EST-suffering mice with 10-HDA at the doses of 2.5 and 5 mg/kg especially in combination with CP significantly (p < 0.001) decreased the tumor volume and inhibition rate, tumor markers (AFP and CEA), serum level of liver and kidney, LPO and NO, TNF-α level, as well as the expression level of Bcl-2 in comparison with the mice in the C2 group; while 10-HDA at the doses of 2.5 and 5 mg/kg especially in combination with CP significantly (p < 0.001) improved the level of antioxidant enzymes of GPx, CAT, and SOD and the expression level of caspase-3 and Bax genes. Conclusions: According to the results of the present investigations, 10-HDA at the doses of 2.5 and 5 mg/kg especially in combination with CP showed promising antitumor effects against EST in mice and can be recommended as a new or alternative anticancer agent against tumor; nevertheless, further investigations, particularly in clinical setting, are required to confirm these results.     

Determination of (E)-10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid content in pure royal jelly: a comparison between a new CZE method and HPLC

A new CZE method was developed and compared with HPLC for the determination of (E)-10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA) in royal jelly (RJ) samples of different geographical origin. The results obtained with the CZE method were highly correlated with those of HPLC (p < 0.01). Under optimized conditions, CZE employed minimal amounts of 50 mM tetraborate buffer as BGE, without the addition of organic solvents, EOF or pH modifiers. The CZE method showed a wide linear response range (0.006-0.808 mg 10-HDA/mL), a good sensitivity (LOD and LOQ were 0.002 and 0.004 mg/mL, respectively) and a satisfactory instrumental repeatability with respect to migration time and peak area (RSD% less than 1.0 and 2.0% on migration time for intra- and interday assay, respectively and less than 2.0 and for 4.0% on peak area for intra- and interday assay, respectively). The 10-HDA content in RJ ranged from 0.8 to 3.2 g/100 g of RJ and a significant difference (p < 0.05) was found between the Italian and extra-European average values: 2.5 and 1.6 g/100 g of RJ, respectively, according to the CZE data. The possibility of application of CZE for routine analyses on RJ and RJ based products to verify their authenticity is highlighted here.     

In situ gelling hexagonal phases for sustained release of an anti-addiction drug

In this study, fluid precursor formulations for subcutaneous injection and in situ formation of hexagonal phase gels upon water absorption were developed as a strategy to sustain the release of naltrexone, a drug used for treatment of drug addiction. Precursor formulations were obtained by combining BRIJ 97 with propylene glycol (PG, 5-70%, w/w). To study the phase behavior of these formulations, water was added at 10-90% (w/w), and the resulting systems were characterized by polarized light microscopy. Two precursor formulations containing BRIJ:PG at 95:5 (w/w, referred to as BRIJ-95) and at 80:20 (w/w, referred to as BRIJ-80) were chosen. Naltrexone was dissolved at 1% or suspended at 5% (w/w). Precursor formulations were transformed into hexagonal phases when water content exceeded 20%. Water uptake followed second-order kinetics, and after 2-4h all precursor formulations were transformed into hexagonal phases. Drug release was prolonged by the precursor formulations (compared to a drug solution in PBS), and followed pseudo-first order kinetics regardless of naltrexone concentration. The release from BRIJ-80 was significantly higher than that from BRIJ-95 after 48 h. The relative safety of the precursor formulations was assessed in cultured fibroblasts. Even though BRIJ-95 was more cytotoxic than BRIJ-80, both precursor formulations were significantly less cytotoxic than sodium lauryl sulfate (considered moderate-to-severe irritant) at the same concentration (up to 50 μg/mL). These results suggest the potential of BRIJ-based precursor formulations for sustained naltrexone release.     

Developing a Novel Platelet-Rich Plasma-Laden Bioadhesive Hydrogel Contact Lens for the Treatment of Ocular Surface Chemical Injuries

Permanent injury to corneal limbal stem cells after ocular surface chemical and thermal injuries is a major cause of corneal blindness. In this study, a PRP-laden GelMA hydrogel contact lens is manufactured which is aimed to support the limbal niche after ocular surface insults thereby preventing limbal stem cell failure. GelMA with varying platelet-rich plasma (PRP) concentrations (5%, 10%, and 20%) is photopolymerized using a visible light crosslinking system followed by characterizations of mechanical properties, growth factor release, enzymatic degradation, and in vitro cytotoxicity. The addition of 10% PRP into 10% GelMA hydrogel precursor solution results in the highest tensile and compressive modulus (38 and 110 kPa, respectively) and burst pressure (251±37.66 mmHg). Degradation time varies according to the concentration of the collagenase enzyme tested (0, 2.5, 5, and 40 µg/mL) and is most prolonged with 20% PRP. EGF and TGF-β release profiles suggest an initial burst release followed by sustained release, most consistent in the 10% PRP sample. Although cell viability decreases on day 1, rapid recovery is observed and is approximately 120% after day 21. PRP-laden GelMA in the form of a contact lens may be a promising biomaterial-based treatment approach for the maintenance of limbal epithelial stem cells after ocular surface insults.     

Proteome analysis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Apis mellifera</Emphasis> royal jelly

Royal jelly plays a pivotal role in the development of honey bee larvae. However, while various health promoting properties of royal jelly have been reported, most of the active substances within royal jelly that lead to these properties are still unknown. Since up to 50% (dry mass) of royal jelly is protein, royal jelly proteome analysis is a promising starting point for attempts to identify the proteins that provide health-promoting effects. However, the comprehensive analysis of royal jelly proteins is hampered by the enormous abundance of some proteins in the major royal jelly protein family, which constitutes 80–90% of the royal jelly proteome. The high heterogeneity of these proteins is an additional challenge for proteomic analysis, since it necessitates the use of analytical techniques that provide high resolution and a wide dynamic range. The application of individual methods such as 2D-PAGE or multidimensional chromatography can only yield certain subpopulations of a proteome due to the specific bias of each method. We applied different methods for the prefractionation and separation of royal jelly proteins in order to circumvent the shortcomings of the individual techniques and achieve a high coverage of the royal jelly proteome. In this way, we were able to identify 20 different proteins in total, as well as to show a very high degree of cleavage of different proteins of the major royal jelly protein family. Furthermore, we investigated the protein phosphorylation of royal jelly proteins, and identified and located two phosphorylation sites within venom protein 2. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Comparative Study of In Situ Loaded Antibody and PEG‐Fab NIPAAM Gels

Hydrogels can potentially prolong the release of a therapeutic protein, especially to treat blinding conditions. One challenge is to ensure that the protein and hydrogel are intimately mixed by better protein entanglement within the hydrogel. N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAM) gels are optimized with poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEDGA) crosslinker in the presence of either bevacizumab or PEG conjugated ranibizumab (PEG₁₀‐Fab_rani). The release profiles of the hydrogels are evaluated using an outflow model of the eye, which is previously validated for human clearance of proteins. Release kinetics of in situ loaded bevacizumab‐NIPAAM gels displays a prolonged bimodal release profile in phosphate buffered saline compared to bevacizumab loaded into a preformed NIPAAM gel. Bevacizumab release in simulated vitreous from in situ loaded gels is similar to bevacizumab control indicating that diffusion through the vitreous rather than from the gel is rate limiting. Ranibizumab is site‐specifically PEGylated by disulfide rebridging conjugation. Prolonged and continuous release is observed with the in situ loaded PEG₁₀‐Fab_rani‐NIPAAM gels compared to PEG₁₀‐Fab_rani injection (control). Compared to an unmodified protein, there is better mixing due to PEG entanglement and compatibility of PEG₁₀‐Fab_rani within the NIPAAM‐PEDGA hydrogel. These encouraging results suggest that the extended release of PEGylated proteins in the vitreous can be achieved using injectable hydrogels.     

气相色谱-负化学源质谱法测定蜂蜜和王浆中4种杀虫剂的残留

建立了气相色谱-负化学源质谱（GC-NCI/MS）测定蜂蜜和王浆中4种杀虫剂残留量的方法。蜂蜜样品由乙酸乙酯提取、乙二胺-N-丙基硅烷（PSA）净化,而王浆样品经乙腈-水（1：1,v/v）提取、C18固相萃取柱净化,采用GC-NCI/MS测定,外标法定量。结果表明：在50~500 μg/L范围内4种农药的线性良好;所有农药的LOD在0.12~5.0 μg/kg之间,LOQ在0.40~16.5 μg/kg之间;在10、15、20 μg/kg 3个添加水平下,4种农药的平均回收率在78.2%~110.0%之间,且RSD均小于14%。所有农药的测定均没有出现干扰峰。该方法简单、快速,准确度、精密度和选择性高,抗干扰能力强,可用于蜂蜜和王浆中这4种农药的快速检测。     

Simultaneous determination of seven fluoroquinolones in royal jelly by ultrasonic‐assisted extraction and liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

A method for the quantitative determination of seven fluoroquinolone antibacterial agents (FQs) used in beekeeping, viz. ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, ofloxacin, pefloxacin, danofloxacin, enrofloxacin, and difloxacin, in royal jelly samples was developed on the basis of high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. Sample preparation included deproteination, ultrasonic‐assisted extraction with a mixed inorganic solution of monopotassium phosphate (KH₂PO₄) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt (Na₂EDTA), and clean‐up on a solid‐phase extraction cartridge. The extraction procedure was optimized with regard to the amount of inorganic solvent and the duration of sonication for royal jelly as a complicated matrix. Overall recoveries for FQs ranged from 85.9 to 99.1% for royal jelly with standard deviations between 2.79 and 6.27%. Limits of quantification were 2–40 ng/g for seven FQs in royal jelly. A total of 57 real royal jelly samples collected from beekeepers and supermarkets were analyzed. The three most abundant honeybee‐use FQs, i. e. ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and norfloxacin, were determined in some royal jelly samples in concentrations ranging from 11.9 to 55.6 ng/g. Unexpectedly, however, difloxacin was found at concentrations of about 46.8 ng/g in one sample although it is rarely used in beekeeping. The presented method was successfully applied to quantify FQs in real royal jelly samples.     

蜂王浆中磷酸腺苷的提取及超高效液相色谱分析

比较了高氯酸提取、热水提取和热硫酸镁溶液提取3种提取方式对蜂王浆中磷酸腺苷三磷酸腺苷(ATP)、二磷酸腺苷(ADP)和单磷酸腺苷(AMP)的提取效果,发现在低温(低于4 ℃)下以5%高氯酸的提取效果最佳。采用超高效液相色谱-紫外检测法分析蜂王浆中的ATP, ADP和AMP的含量。以BEH Shield RP18柱(100 mm×2.1 mm,1.7 μm)为分析柱,以50 mmol/L的磷酸二氢铵(pH 6.5)和乙腈为流动相进行梯度洗脱,3种磷酸腺苷在4 min内实现了较好的分离。以加标王浆样品作添加回收率测定,ATP, ADP和AMP的回收率分别为84.1%～94.3%,86.2%～93.7%和91.0%～104.3%,相对标准偏差均小于10%。方法已被用于一些实际样品的分析,以了解ATP, ADP和AMP在蜂王浆样品中的分布情况。     

Aliskiren Hemifumarate Proliposomes for Improved Oral Drug Delivery: Formulation Development,In Vitro and In Vivo Permeability Testing

The objective of this study was to develop proliposomal formulations for a poorly bioavailable drug, aliskiren hemifumarate (AKH). A solvent evaporation method was used to prepare proliposomes using different lipids. The lipids of selection were soy phosphatidylcholine (SPC), dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC), and dimyristoylphosphatidylglycerol sodium (DMPG Na), stearylamine, and cholesterol in various ratios. Proliposomes were evaluated for particle size, zeta potential, in vitro drug release, in vitro permeability, and in vivo pharmacokinetics upon hydration with aqueous phase. In vitro drug release studies were conducted in 0.01 N hydrochloric acid using USP type II dissolution apparatus. Parallel artificial membrane permeation assay (PAMPA) and Caco-2 cell line models were used to study the in vitro drug permeation. Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were used to conduct in vivo pharmacokinetic studies. Among different formulations, proliposomes with drug/DMPC/cholesterol/stearylamine in the ratio of 1:5:0.025:0.050 (w/w/w/w) demonstrated the desired particle size, higher zeta potential, and higher encapsulation efficiency. The PAMPA and Caco-2 cell line experiments showed a significantly higher permeability of AKH with proliposomes as compared to pure AKH. In animal studies, the optimized formulation of proliposomes showed significant improvement in the rate and extent of absorption of AKH. Specifically, following a single oral administration, the relative bioavailability of AKH proliposome formulation was 230% when compared to pure AKH suspension.     

Tetracycline residues in royal jelly and honey by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry: validation study according to Commission Decision 2002/657/EC

A specific, sensitive and robust liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for determining oxytetracycline, tetracycline, chlortetracycline and doxycycline in royal jelly and honey samples is presented. Extraction of drug residues was performed by ammonium acetate buffer as extractant followed by a clean-up with metal chelate affinity chromatography and solid-phase extraction. Tetracycline analysis was performed using liquid chromatography–electrospray ionisation–tandem mass spectrometry. The presented method is the first validated for royal jelly and in accordance with the requirements set by Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. Recoveries of the methods, calculated spiking the samples at 5.0, 10.0, 20.0 and 30.0 μg kg⁻¹, were 79% to 90% for honey and 77% to 90% for royal jelly. The intra-day precision (RSD) ranged between 8.1% and 15.0% for honey and from 9.1% to 16.3% for royal jelly, while inter-day precision values were from 10.2% to 17.6% and from 10.6% to 18.4% respectively for honey and royal jelly. Linearity for the four analytes was calculated from 5.0 to 50.0 μg kg⁻¹. The decision limits (CCα) ranged from 6.2 to 6.4 μg kg⁻¹ and from 6.1 to 6.5 μg kg⁻¹ for honey and royal jelly, respectively. Detection capabilities values (CCβ) ranged between 7.2 and 7.7 μg kg⁻¹ and from 7.3 to 7.9 μg kg⁻¹ respectively for honey and royal jelly. The developed method is currently in use for confirmation of the official control analysis of honey and royal jelly samples.     

Development and validation of a simple solid‐phase extraction method coupled with liquid chromatography–triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry for simultaneous determination of lincomycin,tylosin A and tylosin B in royal jelly

We have developed an analytical method for the determination of lincomycin, tylosin A and tylosin B residues in royal jelly using liquid chromatography–triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry analysis. For extraction and purification, we employed 1% trifluoroacetic acid and 0.1 m Na₂EDTA solutions along with an Oasis HLB cartridge. The target antibiotics were well separated in a Kinetex EVO C₁₈ reversed‐phase analytical column using a combination of 0.1% formate acid in ultrapure water (A) and acetonitrile (B) as the mobile phase. Good linearity was achieved over the tested concentration range (5–50 μg/kg) in matrix‐matched standard calibration. The coefficients of determination (R²) were 0.9933, 0.9933 and 0.996, for tylosin A, tylosin B and lincomycin, respectively. Fortified royal jelly spiked with three different concentrations of the tested antibiotics (5, 10 and 20 μg/kg) yielded recoveries in the range 80.94–109.26% with relative standard deviations ≤4%. The proposed method was applied to monitor 11 brand of royal jelly collected from domestic markets and an imported brand from New Zealand; all the samples tested negative for lincomycin, tylosin A and tylosin B residues. In conclusion, 1% trifluoroacetic acid and 0.1 m Na₂EDTA aqueous solvents combined with solid‐phase extraction could effectively complete the sample preparation process for royal jelly before analysis. The developed approach can be applied for a routine analysis of lincomycin, tylosin A and tylosin B residues in royal jelly.     

离子色谱法测定奶制品及蜂王浆中的乙酰胆碱

建立了奶制品及蜂王浆中乙酰胆碱的离子交换/电导检测离子色谱分析方法.样品经去离子水超声提取,离子交换/电导检测离子色谱法测定,外标法定量.采用IonPac CS17(250 mm x4.0 mm i.d.)分析柱,流动相为甲基磺酸,梯度洗脱,流速1.0 mL/min,柱温30℃,检测池温度35℃.实验结果表明,氯化乙酰...