Royal Jelly Decreases MMP-9 Expression and Induces Apoptosis in Human Bladder Cancer 5637 Cells

Royal jelly (RJ) from queen honeybee larva as a traditional medicine agent has a variety of pharmacological benefits. In the present study, the effect of Royal jelly was investigated on the urinary bladder cancer cell line (HTB-9 5637). To determine the cell viability in different concentrations of Royal jelly, MTT assay was performed. An in vitro wound healing assay was applied to investigate the effect of RJ on cell migration. The activity and gene expression level of matrix metalloproteinase 2 and 9 was assessed by zymography and Real time PCR respectively. R.J.S at the concentration of 0.7 mg/ml had a significant effect on reducing the proliferation rate of 5637 cells after 72h (p < 0.009). R.J.S significantly decreased cell migration and induced a significant decrease in the transcriptional level of MMP9 after 72h (0.5x; P < 0.049). However R.J.S did not impose any effect on the expression level and activity of matrix metalloproteinase 2. These results indicate the potential of RJ as a promised natural anti-proliferative and anti-metastatic drug in combination with advanced therapy methods for cancer treatment. Royal jelly has the potential to be more focused as an anti-metastatic drug to control tumor growth and can be considered as a more effective alternative to the current chemotherapy drugs.