Royal Jelly May Help Treat Graves’ Disease

The Effects of Royal Jelly on Autoimmunity in Graves' Disease
Endocrine, 2006 Oct;30(2):175-84

Objective. Graves' disease is an organ-specific autoimmune disease with unknown etiology. TSHR Ab plays the most important role for the pathogenesis of Graves' disease. Recently, the role of cytokines for the pathogenesis of Graves' disease has been studied extensively. Royal jelly (RJ) is a creamy product secreted by young nurse worker bees (Apis mellifera), and it is synthesized in the hypopharyngeal and mandibular glands. RJ has been reported to have such pharmacological characteristics as antitumor, antibacterial, antihypercholesterolemic, antiallergic, antiinflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties. The major aim of the present study is to evaluate the effect of RJ on autoimmunity in peripheral lymphocyte culture and to establish the therapeutic doses…

Results…RJ treatment in lymphocytes from patients with Graves' disease shifted the Th1/Th2 cytokine ratio to the side of Th1 cytokine. Therefore, RJ using the treatment and establishing a remission of Graves' disease may be effective as an antithyroid drug treatment. TSHR Ab levels of lymphocyte cell culture supernatants treated with RJ showed significant decreases. Also, the result may suggest that RJ may exert an effect similar to an antithyroid drug for decreasing TSHR Ab levels.

Conclusions. RJ may be effective as an immunomodulatory agent in Graves' disease.