Royal jelly acid

Royal Jelly acid (10-HDA) is one of the major fatty acids found in royal jelly, a substance secreted by young worker bees and fed to larvae. 10-HDA is being investigated for its pharmacological activities in treating several diseases, improving fertility, and preventing the spread of tumors. Hydroxy, saturated, and phosphoric acid esters of 10-HDA have also been found in Royal Jelly and these may also play a role in the pharmacological activities that have been cited.1 10-HDA promotes neurogenesis of neural stem/progenator cells, cells capable of differentiating into neurons, astrocytes, or oligodendrocytes, and could provide an effective method to treat and prevent neurological disorders.2 10-HDA also promotes the production of collagen and collagen promoting growth factors, potentially making it useful for therapeutic and cosmetic applications.3 10- HDA has been found to inhibit vascular endothelial growth factor which is a key regulator of normal and pathological angiogenesis and this could be used as a therapeutic treatment for retinopathies, rheumatoid arthritis, and tumor growth.4 Antibiotic actions have long been associated with 10-HDA and recently it has been confirmed to have good antibacterial properties.5