Danielle Zamalin Triple Helix Staff Writer French Vanilla, Lavender, Fresh Linens. We all have that treasured aroma that can, quite literally, chemically alter our mood and concentration. However, those scents may now be able to save us not only psychologically, but also physically. The fashion in which smell is processed is rather straightforward. Olfactory receptors detect and bind to specific chemical signals, which, to humans, are perceived as odors. Once the odor is exposed to the correct receptor, it is distinguished by the brain through several additional steps along the pathway of the sensory-somatic nervous system. Put simply, we breath in through our nose, we recognize the smell, we move on with our day. And that is where we have been wrong all along. Your skin can smell. Your liver can smell. Your heart, kidneys, and sperm can smell. In fact, almost every organ in the human body contains olfactory receptors, and their possible health benefits are astonishing. For instance, an odor receptor on your skin, OR2AT4, binds to the artificially produced sandalwood scent used in candles known as Sandalore. The attachment of the odor to OR2AT4 launches a signal transduction pathway, which results in the healing of injured tissue. Wounded skin cells subjected to Sandalore regenerated 30 percent faster than those lacking exposure. Or take beta-ionine, the chemical responsible for the scents of violets, roses, and other flowers. When introduced to olfactory receptors in the prostate, beta-ionone contributed to the inhibition of metastasis of prostate cancer cells. The binding of the odor to the receptor cell in turn hinders mutated genes. The synthetic compound Lyral, reminiscent of the aroma of lily of the valley, has been proven to heal muscle tissue when bound to olfactory receptors in skeletal muscle. Even more dramatically, the absence of the Lyral odor resulted in a complete halt in muscular reformation. Such findings suggest a correlation between odors and stimulation of stem cell conversion into adult muscle cells. Still, a whiff of the candle on your nightstand may not prevent a stroke just yet, but amazingly, such wonders may be possible in the very near future.
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AuthorsThe authors of these blog posts are staff writers of The Triple Helix at Georgetown University. Archives
November 2016
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