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Background & objectives: Diabetes mellitus cause cognitive defects. Royal Jelly has been claimed to improve the neurological damage caused by diabetes. In this study, the effect of oral administration of royal jelly on memory and passive avoidance learning was studied in diabetic male rats.
Methods: This experimental study was conducted in Qazvin University of Medical Sciences on 48 male Wistar rats. The animals were divided into control, diabetic without treatment, diabetic recipient of glibenclamide (600 μg/kg) and three diabetic groups treated with 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg royal jelly (n=8). Diabetes was induced in the animals by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (60mg/kg/ip). Treatment in the groups performed by gavage from the onset of hyperglycemia for 30 days. At the end of the test, the passive avoidance learning and memory and blood glucose were measured. Data were analyzed by by SPSS software using ANOVA and post-hoc LSD tests, and p<0.05 was considered significant.
Results: Diabetes reduced the latency time of dark room entering. Royal jelly treatment delayed the entrance to the dark room significantly at 24 h, 48 h and 2 weeks after the shock, especially at doses of 100 (p<0.05) and 200 mg/kg (p<0.01) compared to untreated diabetic animals.
Conclusion: According to the results, diabetes causes memory impairment, and royal jelly administration can reduce the memory impairment due to diabetes.

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Background & objectives: The present study investigated the effects of royal jelly on lead acetate induced toxicity on sperm parameters, reproductive hormone assay, and bak gene expression in NMRI male mice.
Methods: In this study, fifty four male mice were randomly divided into nine groups: control group (without royal jelly) (n=6); sham group(10 ml normal saline) (n=6); lead group (1000 ppm, oral) (n=6); Group 4: royal jelly (100 mg/kg/day, oral) (n=6); Group 5: royal jelly (250 mg/kg/day, oral)(n=6); Group 6: royal jelly (500 mg/kg/day, oral)(n=6); Group 7: royal jelly (100 mg/kg/day, oral) + 1000 ppm lead (n=6); Group 8: royal jelly (250 mg/kg/day, oral) + 1000 ppm lead (n=6) and Group 9: royal jelly (500 mg/kg/day, oral) + 1000 ppm lead (n=6). On day 35, blood samples were collected from anaesthetized mice by cardiac puncture to assess reproductive hormones and the testes were harvested for determination of sperm parameters and expression bak gene. Sperm parameters including motility, viability, DNA damage, morphology and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels were determined.
Results: The results showed that administration of royal jelly significantly enhanced sperm parameters and all reproductive hormone levels compared to control mice, (p<0.05). Also, treatment with lead acetate caused a significant reduction in levels of all reproductive hormones and a significant diminution in sperm motility, morphology, viability; with an increase in percentage of dead spermatocytes (p<0.05). The co-administration of the 250 and 500 mg/kg/day royal jelly with lead acetate could ameliorate the deleterious effects of lead acetate resulting in a significant increase in sperm parameters and all reproductive hormones and increase the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels (p<0.05). Also, the expression of bak gene in all treated (sham, royal jelly groups) and control groups was significantly lower than the lead acetate group (p<0.05).
Conclusion: In conclusion, our findings suggest that the royal jelly has a beneficial effect on male reproductive parameters following lead acetate induced toxicity in mice.