2006 Volume 70 Issue 4 Pages 897-906
An extract of royal jelly (RJ) induced processes from cultured rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells. Active components were isolated, and identified as adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and AMP N1-oxide. AMP N1-oxide was more than 20 times as active as AMP, judging from the minimal concentration to elicit activity. AMP N1-oxide was thought to be responsible for about half of the process-forming activity of whole RJ. Chemically-synthesized AMP N1-oxide was active similarly to the molecule purified from RJ, confirming AMP N1-oxide as the active entity. AMP N1-oxide also suppressed proliferation of PC12 cells and stimulated expression of neurofilament M, a specific protein of mature neurons, demonstrating the stimulatory activity of AMP N1-oxide to induce neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells. Pharmacological experiments suggested that AMP N1-oxide actions are mediated by adenyl cyclase-coupled adenosine receptors, including A2 A. Thus AMP N1-oxide is a key molecule that characterizes RJ, and is not found in natural products other than RJ.
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