Characterization and antioxidant activities of glycosaminoglycans from royal jelly

Abstract Royal jelly, as a traditional health food, exhibits various biological activities that are often associated with mammalian glycosaminoglycans. However, their presence and structural characteristics in royal jelly were previously unknown. In this study, glycosaminoglycans were isolated from royal jelly for the first time, and structural analysis revealed the presence of chondroitin sulfate / dermatan sulfate and hyaluronic acid. Chondroitin sulfate / dermatan sulfate was detected with varied disaccharide compositions and possessed a heterogeneous, highly sulfated structure. Also, quantitative analysis revealed significant differences in content between chondroitin sulfate / dermatan sulfate and hyaluronic acid, with chondroitin sulfate / dermatan sulfate being the predominant glycosaminoglycan species. This novel structural information could help clarify the possible involvement of these polysaccharides in the biological activities of royal jelly. Furthermore, royal jelly glycosaminoglycans showed a strong radical scavenging ability, which suggests the potential of royal jelly polysaccharides for exploitation in the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries.