RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: By damaging the liver, hepatitis B can result in acute and chronic diseases, such as cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. Viable treatments for such diseases using natural products and determinative biomarkers have been proposed but require evaluation to improve their effects. Therefore, this study aims to examine how effectively a specific natural product (namely, royal jelly) protects the body from the copy number of the virus, as well as TLR1 to TLR9 gene expressions. METHODS: The effectiveness of royal jelly was tested by giving it (orally) to 30 hepatitis B patients for one month. HBV copy number and mRNA levels of TLRs were explored using Real Time PCR technique, and liver enzymes were evaluated too. RESULTS: Orally treatment with royal jelly led to a significant decrease in HBV-DNA copy number, down-regulation of TLR2 and TLR8, and up-regulation of TLR3. However, mRNA levels of the TLRs were not altered in the female, while TLR1, TLR2, and TLR5 were significantly decreased in the male participants. CONCLUSIONS: It seems that royal jelly has anti-viral and anti-inflammatory roles in the in vivo conditions in a dependent manner in TLR3, TLR2, and TLR8. Therefore, it can be suggested as a safe complementary agent for patients with hepatitis B.