Adaptogenic potential of royal jelly in reproductive system of heat stress-exposed male rats.

Testicular heat stress (HS) can lead to testicular tissue destruction and spermatogenesis disturbances. Royal Jelly (RJ) has been introduced as a potent antioxidant. We investigated the effects of RJ on testicular tissue, oxidative stress and sperm apoptosis in HS-exposed rats.

Royal jelly protects male rats from heat stress-induced reproductive failure.

Royal jelly (RJ) as an antioxidant has been shown to have attenuated oxidative stress damages in reproductive organs. The objective was carried out the effects of RJ on sperm characteristics, sperm malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration and in vitro fertilisation (IVF) outcome in heat stress (HS) exposed male rats. Forty-eight male rats were randomly divided into eight groups; group 1 received normal saline, group 2 received RJ (100 mg kg  day ; PO), groups 3, 4 and 5 were heat-stressed (43, 39 and 37°C for 20 min per day respectively) and groups 6, 7 and 8 were heat-stressed along with RJ (43, 39 and 37°C for 20 min per day, respectively, plus RJ at a dose of 100 mg kg  day ; PO).