The effect of five weeks of aerobic training with royal jelly consumption on glycemic indices in multiple sclerosis rats

Although the beneficial role of exercise and antioxidants in multiple sclerosis (MS) has been reported, the interactive effect of aerobic training (AT) and royal jelly (RJ) consumption is still not well known. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of five weeks of ET and RJ consumption on glycemic indices of MS rats.

In this experimental trial, 49 female Sprague-Dawley rats of EAE model weighing 180-210 gr were divided into seven groups based on their motor disability, including (1) experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), (2) sham (Sh), (3) 50 mg /kg of royal jelly consumption (RJ50), (4) 100 mg /kg of royal jelly consumption (RJ100), (5) aerobic training (AT), (6) AT+RJ50, and (7) AT+RJ100. In order to investigate the effects of EAE on the variables, 7 healthy rats were included in the healthy control group (HC). AT was performed for five weeks, four sessions per week at a speed of 11-15 m/min for 30 minutes, and RJ was injected intraperitoneally with the determined dose daily. To analyze the findings, one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's post hoc test were used (P≥0.05).

Insulin levels in the RJ50, RJ100, ET, ET+RJ50 and ET+RJ100 groups were significantly lower than the EAE group (P=0.01).

It seems that aerobic training combined with royal jelly consumption has a synergistic and favorable effect on improving glycemic indices of MS rats.