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We’re doing what we do best, here is a new ingredient: honey bee defensin-1

Magic foods are magical because of the chemicals they contain.

What chemicals give honey and royal jelly, products of the western honey bee (Apis mellifera) hard work, their power? honey and royal jelly have been used for millennia to help with wound healing.
Historically, honeybee products, such as honey and royal jelly, have been used to treat injuries. Before sulfonamides and other antibiotics, which were discovered in the XX century, that’s all there was: natural products that had antibacterial or antifungal activity.  Royal jelly is secreted by worker bees’ hypopharyngeal and mandibular glands, which is then used to nourish the larvae. Royal jelly has antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties and also has antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activity; it contains water, proteins, simple sugars, fatty acids, and special fatty acid, 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA), trace minerals, and vitamins (pantothenic acid, a.k.a. vitamin B5, pyridoxine, a.k.a. vitamin B6, vitamin C, etc.).

Which chemical gives royal jelly its antibacterial and wound healing activity? A small protein, defensin-1, works by stimulating metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) secretion from keratinocytes and increasing keratinocyte migration and wound closure. Defensin-1 from bees promoted re-epithelisation and wound closure in uninfected excision wounds. The topical application of royal jelly to diabetic foot ulcers accelerated wound healing. There were other effects, like alteration of the concentration of various lipids involved in the wound healing process, increased production of type I pro-collagen, and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) by fibroblasts. This doesn’t mean that defensin 1 is the only chemical involved in the healing activity of royal jelly, the special fatty acid associated with royal jelly, 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA), induces involucrin, transglutaminase-1, and filaggrin protein production by human keratinocytes.

Bee defensin-1  by Skin Actives is a laboratory-made protein identical to the one that gives honey bee royal jelly its antibacterial and antifungal properties and helps accelerate skin healing. This is how to get the benefits of royal jelly in a concentrate, using the knowledge of modern science applied to ancient medical practice. Skin Actives brings the benefits of very advanced biotechnology to your skincare products.

Hannah

References

Bucekova, M., Sojka, M., Valachova, I., Martinotti, S., Ranzato, E., Szep, Z., Majtan, V., Klaudiny, J. & Majtan, J. (2017) Bee-derived antibacterial peptide, defensin-1, promotes wound re-epithelialisation in vitro and in vivo . Sci Rep 7, 7340. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-07494-0

Kim J., Kim Y., Yun H., et al. Royal jelly enhances migration of human dermal fibroblasts and alters the levels of cholesterol and sphinganine in an in vitro wound healing model. Nutrition Research and Practice. 2010;4(5):362–368. doi: 10.4162/nrp.2010.4.5.362.

Molan P. C. The role of honey in the management of wounds. Journal of Wound Care. 1999;8(8):415–418. doi: 10.12968/jowc.1999.8.8.25904.

Park H. M., Hwang E., Lee K. G., Han S.-M., Cho Y., Kim S. Y. Royal jelly protects against ultraviolet B-induced photoaging in human skin fibroblasts via enhancing collagen production. Journal of Medicinal Food. 2011;14(9):899–906. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2010.1363.

Siavash M., Shokri S., Haghighi S., Shahtalebi M. A., Farajzadehgan Z. The efficacy of topical royal jelly on healing of diabetic foot ulcers: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. International Wound Journal. 2015;12(2):137–142. doi: 10.1111/iwj.12063.

Sugiyama T., Takahashi K., Mori H. Royal jelly acid, 10-hydroxy-trans-2-decenoic acid, as a modulator of the innate immune responses. Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders-Drug Targets. 2012;12(4):368–376. doi: 10.2174/187153012803832530.

 

DISCLAIMER: These claims have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent any disease.