Proteome of thymus and spleen reveals that 10-hydroxydec-2-enoic acid could enhance immunity in mice

<b>Objectives</b>: 10-hydroxydec-2-enoic acid (10-HDA), a unique component of royal jelly existing only in nature, has the potential to promote human health. Knowledge of 10-HDA in regulating immuno-activity, however, is lacking. The aim of our work is to gain a novel understanding of 10-HDA in promoting immunity. <b>Methods</b>: Immuno-suppressed mice were generated by cyclophosphamide injection, After 10-HDA supplementation to the mice to rescue their immunity, the proteomes of the thymus and spleen were analyzed. <b>Results</b>: The weight of the body, thymus, and spleen in cyclophosphamide-induced mice recovered by 10-HDA indicate its potential role in immuno-organ protection. In the thymus, the enhanced activity of pathways associated with DNA/RNA/protein activities may be critical for T-lymphocyte proliferation/differentiation, and cytotoxicity. In the spleen, the induced pathways involved in DNA/RNA/protein activities, and cell proliferative stimulation suggest their vital role in B-lymphocyte affinity maturation, antigen presentation, and macrophage activity. The up-regulated proteins highly connected in networks modulated by 10-HDA indicate that the mice may evolve tactics to respond to immuno-organ impairment by activating critical physiological processes. <b>Conclusion</b>: Our data constitute a proof-of-concept that 10-HDA is a potential agent to improve immunity in the thymus and spleen and offer a new venue for applying natural products to the therapy for hypoimmunity.