Effects of Exogenous Supply of Stearic Acid on Synthesis of 10-Hydroxy-2-Decenoic Acid in Worker Bees
This study assessed the effects of dietary stearic acid(SA)supplementation on the synthesis of 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid(10-HDA)in worker bees,in order to provide technical guidance for the production of high-quality royal jelly.Ten healthy colonies of Zhejiang royal jelly bees were used in this study,and divid-ed into two groups with 5 colonies per group:one group was fed a basal diet(control group)and the other group received a 2%SA supplemented diet(SA group)during the experiment.The experiment lasted for 75 days.The results showed as follows:1)relative to control group,exogenous supply of 2%SA significantly decreased the total feed intake and powder intake(P<0.05),and significantly decreased the Population of bee colonies on day 24(P<0.05),but had no significant effect on the amount of sealed brood on each time point(days 12,24 and 36)(P>0.05).2)Relative to control group,exogenous supply of 2%SA significantly in-creased the 10-HDA content in royal jelly(P<0.05),but had no significant effect on the royal jelly yield(P>0.05);exogenous supply of 2%SA also significantly increased the 10-HDA content in head of 9-and 18-day-old worker bees(P<0.05).3)Relative to control group,exogenous supply of 2%SA significantly increased the expression of genes[fatty acid synthase(FAS),cytochrome P450 6AS8(CYP6AS8),acyl-CoA oxidase 1(ACOX1),acyl-CoA oxidase 3(ACOX3),carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1(CPT1),electron transfer flavoprotein beta polypeptide(ETF-β)and major royal jelly protein 1(mrjp1)]involved in 10-HDA synthesis in mandibular gland of 18-day-old worker bees(P<0.05),and significantly increased the triacylglyc-erol content in hemolymph of 18-day-old worker bees and in midgut of 9-day-old worker bees(P<0.05).These results indicate that exogenous supply of SA can promote the biosynthesis of 10-HDA in the mandibular gland of worker bees and increase the content of 10-HDA in royal jelly.[Chinese Journal of Animal Nutri-tion,2024,36(3):1846-1856]