Royal jelly maintains telomere length and antioxidant parameters in the pancreas of streptozotocin-induced rats

Selcen Çakır

doi:10.23902/trkjnat.2025914

Royal jelly maintains telomere length and antioxidant parameters in the pancreas of streptozotocin-induced rats

Abstract

Background: Streptozotocin (STZ) is an agent with selective toxicity targeting pancreatic β-cells and is commonly used to establish models of pancreatic damage. Royal jelly (RJ) is a natural product rich in biologically active compounds and has been shown in various studies to exert antioxidative and cytoprotective effects.

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the potential protective effects of RJ against STZ-induced pancreatic damage and to investigate these effects in terms of oxidative stress (OS) and telomere biology.

Methods: Twenty-four female Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into four groups: control, RJ (350 mg/kg), STZ, and STZ + RJ (350 mg/kg). Telomere length in pancreatic tissue and serum levels of 8-hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), paraoxonase-1 (PON1), and telomerase were analyzed using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits.

Results: STZ administration significantly increased oxidative DNA damage (8-OHdG) and decreased PON1 levels, indicating elevated OS. RJ treatment effectively reversed these changes, bringing 8-OHdG and PON1 levels closer to those of the control group. Moreover, RJ administration significantly increased the reduced pancreatic telomere length and serum telomerase levels in the STZ group.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that RJ may mitigate STZ-induced oxidative stress and telomere shortening. Further studies are needed to elucidate the therapeutic mechanisms of RJ in OS-related pancreatic disorders.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

The author(s) declare that this study has received no financial support.

Ethical Statement

This study was carried out with the approval of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Animal Experiments Local Ethics Committee (approval number: 2021/01-01, dated: 12.02.2021).

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Cell Metabolism

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Selcen Çakır
Türkiye

Publication Date

July 9, 2026

Submission Date

October 11, 2025

Acceptance Date

November 20, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 27 Number: 1

DOI

https://doi.org/10.23902/trkjnat.2025914

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA59LZ49RW

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Çakır, S. (2026). Royal jelly maintains telomere length and antioxidant parameters in the pancreas of streptozotocin-induced rats. Trakya University Journal of Natural Sciences, 27(1), 30-36. https://doi.org/10.23902/trkjnat.2025914

AMA

1.Çakır S. Royal jelly maintains telomere length and antioxidant parameters in the pancreas of streptozotocin-induced rats. Trakya Univ J Nat Sci. 2026;27(1):30-36. doi:10.23902/trkjnat.2025914

Chicago

Çakır, Selcen. 2026. “Royal Jelly Maintains Telomere Length and Antioxidant Parameters in the Pancreas of Streptozotocin-Induced Rats”. Trakya University Journal of Natural Sciences 27 (1): 30-36. https://doi.org/10.23902/trkjnat.2025914.

EndNote

Çakır S (July 1, 2026) Royal jelly maintains telomere length and antioxidant parameters in the pancreas of streptozotocin-induced rats. Trakya University Journal of Natural Sciences 27 1 30–36.

IEEE

[1]S. Çakır, “Royal jelly maintains telomere length and antioxidant parameters in the pancreas of streptozotocin-induced rats”, Trakya Univ J Nat Sci, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 30–36, July 2026, doi: 10.23902/trkjnat.2025914.

ISNAD

Çakır, Selcen. “Royal Jelly Maintains Telomere Length and Antioxidant Parameters in the Pancreas of Streptozotocin-Induced Rats”. Trakya University Journal of Natural Sciences 27/1 (July 1, 2026): 30-36. https://doi.org/10.23902/trkjnat.2025914.

JAMA

1.Çakır S. Royal jelly maintains telomere length and antioxidant parameters in the pancreas of streptozotocin-induced rats. Trakya Univ J Nat Sci. 2026;27:30–36.

MLA

Çakır, Selcen. “Royal Jelly Maintains Telomere Length and Antioxidant Parameters in the Pancreas of Streptozotocin-Induced Rats”. Trakya University Journal of Natural Sciences, vol. 27, no. 1, July 2026, pp. 30-36, doi:10.23902/trkjnat.2025914.

Vancouver

1.Selcen Çakır. Royal jelly maintains telomere length and antioxidant parameters in the pancreas of streptozotocin-induced rats. Trakya Univ J Nat Sci. 2026 Jul. 1;27(1):30-6. doi:10.23902/trkjnat.2025914