Combined royal jelly 10-hydroxydecanoic acid and aspirin has a synergistic effect against memory deficit and neuroinflammation

Food Funct. 2022 Feb 21;13(4):2336-2353. doi: 10.1039/d1fo02397g.

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of neurodegenerative dementia among the older population, is associated with acute or chronic inflammation. As a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, aspirin has recently been widely studied in the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. However, there is a controversy about the efficacy as well as the adverse effects of aspirin. 10-Hydroxydecanoic acid (10-HDAA) is a characteristic fatty acid found in the honey bee product royal jelly. In this study, we found that 10-HDAA attenuated the activation of the NF-κB pathway, then targeted Ptgs-1/2, the well-known target of aspirin. Hence, combined therapy of 10-HDAA and aspirin was conducted. In vitro assays suggested that this combinatory group alleviated LPS-induced inflammation in BV-2 cells, as assessed by the downregulation of nitric oxide, COX-2, and IL-6 compared to 10-HDAA or aspirin treatment alone. In vivo assays showed that the combined treatment synergistically inhibited the overactivation of glial cells and decreased the levels of pro-inflammatory mediators. Moreover, 10-HDAA alleviated the adverse effects of aspirin on gastrointestinal injuries and microbiota dysbiosis. The Morris water maze test indicated that neither 10-HDAA nor aspirin effectively improved LPS-induced memory dysfunction, but the combined therapy showed synergistic effects. Altogether, our findings support 10-HDAA and aspirin combinatory therapy as the basis for future therapeutics for AD and other neuroinflammation-related diseases with minimal adverse effects.

MeSH terms

  • Administration, Oral
  • Animals
  • Aspirin / administration & dosage
  • Aspirin / chemistry
  • Aspirin / pharmacology*
  • Astrocytes / drug effects
  • Bees
  • Decanoic Acids / administration & dosage
  • Decanoic Acids / chemistry
  • Decanoic Acids / pharmacology*
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Drug Synergism
  • Fatty Acids
  • Functional Food
  • Male
  • Maze Learning / drug effects
  • Memory Disorders / prevention & control*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Neuroinflammatory Diseases / prevention & control*
  • Neuroprotective Agents / administration & dosage
  • Neuroprotective Agents / chemistry
  • Neuroprotective Agents / pharmacology*
  • Random Allocation

Substances

  • 10-hydroxydecanoic acid
  • Decanoic Acids
  • Fatty Acids
  • Neuroprotective Agents
  • royal jelly
  • Aspirin