Abstract

Royal jelly (RJ) is a nutrient-rich, bioactive substance that has been used for medicinal purposes since antiquity. For honeybees, RJ plays a nutritional role and provides structural support for queen larvae in their upside-down oriented hive cells. In recent decades, composite materials have become an increasingly important topic in materials science and tissue engineering. The present interdisciplinary study explores the development and characterization of composite materials consisting of strontium (Sr)-doped phosphate glass powders and RJ, proposing a novel approach that integrates the biocompatibility of phosphate glass materials with the bioactive properties of RJ. Three RJ samples were biochemically characterized, and the native ultrastructure of RJ was highlighted through transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The glass samples were characterized through dissolution tests, pH measurements, scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The ultrastructure of RJ–glass mixtures was analyzed with TEM. This preliminary structural analysis allowed us to gain insight into the interactions between the two components. The landscape of the native RJ ultrastructure is dominated by proteinaceous fibril bundles embedded in a fibrillary ground substance. Our morphological observations indicate that the core ultrastructure was largely preserved after interacting with the glass powder.

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