Wednesday, December 05, 2018

Royal Jelly Research Could Propel Cure for Alzheimer’s


Researchers say similar protein to royalactin in humans builds up ‘self-renewal’ stem cells

The Guardian

BUY Concentrated Propolis in Veggie Capsules 

It is the mysterious substance that turns worker honeybees into queens and fills the shelves of health food shops which tout its unverified powers to fend off ageing, improve fertility and reinvigorate the immune system.

Whether royal jelly has genuine health benefits for humans is a matter for more research, but in a study scientists have cracked one of the most enduring puzzles surrounding the milky gloop: the secret behind its queen-maker magic.

The discovery promises to have an impact far beyond the niche field of melittology. Armed with the findings, scientists are now exploring potential new treatments for wounds and disorders such as muscle wastage and neurodegenerative disease.

Researchers at Stanford University found that the main active component in royal jelly, a protein called royalactin, activates a network of genes that bolsters the ability of stem cells to renew themselves. It means that, with royalactin, an organism can produce more stem cells to build and repair itself with.

“We have a very identifiable avenue through which royal jelly’s effects are carried out,” said Kevin Wang, who led the Stanford team. “It has this activity of keeping stem cells in a self-renewing state.”

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