Keratinocytes are the major cell type of the epidermal layer, which express a variety of different sensory receptors that enable them to react to various environmental stimuli and process information in the skin. Daniela Busse, from Ruhr-Universitat – Bochum (Germany), and colleagues studied the olfactory receptor that occurs in the skin, namely OR2AT4, and discovered that it is activated by a synthetic sandalwood scent. The activated OR2AT4 receptor triggers a calcium-dependent signal pathway, which ensures an increased proliferation and a quicker migration of skin cells – processes which typically facilitate wound healing. Observing that skin cells possess an olfactory receptor for sandalwood scent, the study authors submit that: “These findings combined with our studies on human skin organ cultures strongly indicate that the olfactory receptor 2AT4 is involved in human keratinocyte reepithelialization during wound healing processes.”
Scentful Solution for Skin Wounds
The scent of sandalwood facilitates wound healing and skin regeneration.
Daniela Busse, Philipp Kudella, Nana-Maria Gruning, Günter Gisselmann, Sonja Stander, et al. “A Synthetic Sandalwood Odorant Induces Wound Healing Processes in Human Keratinocytes via the Olfactory Receptor OR2AT4.” Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 7 July 2014.
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