Royal jelly (RJ) is one of the most popular beehive products, also labeled as a superfood because of its complex composition. It has been traditionally used as dietary supplement and possess several confirmed pharmaceutical properties. Its anticancer potential has been mainly attributed to unsaturated fatty acid 10H2DA, present only in RJ and not found elsewhere in nature. The present study aimed to evaluate content of 10H2DA in the RJ sample (originated from Serbia) using HPLC method. Furthermore, the potential of this unique RJ compound in suppressing motility of colorectal carcinoma cells (HCT-116, SW-480) was assessed by Transwell assay. Cells were treated with two selected sublethal concentrations (10 and 100 μM) for 24 h. Our results showed that the tested RJ sample contained 9.22±0.02 mg/g (0.92% w/w) of 10H2DA, and obtained result is in accordance to the literature data of 10H2DA in RJ in the range of 0.8%-6.5%. Meanwhile, 10H2DA in both concentrations significantly reduced motility of HCT-116 cells. However, the migratory potential of the SW-480 cells remained almost unchanged when treated with 10H2DA. Obviously, tested substance was able to inhibit motility of more aggressive HCT-116 cells than less mobile SW-480 cell line, which is a significant result of our study, and indicating stronger sensitivity of HCT-116 cells to the treatment.

This is the first report of 10H2DA content in RJ sample from Serbia, as far as we know. Due to its significant antimigratory effect on aggressive colorectal carcinoma cells, 10H2DA presents promising agent for future studies concerrning anticancer treatment.