Study of compositions of musks in different types secreted by forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii)

Preliminary exploration of the musk biosynthetic mechanism by transcriptomic sequencing in muskrats

Musk, secreted by adult male forest musk deer, is a kind of precious Chinese traditional medicine for treating cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and neurogenic diseases. However, a lack of knowledge on musk biosynthetic mechanism and limited musk deer population have seriously hindered the development of the musk industry. Fortunately, given that muskrat musk has similar constituents and pharmacological action with deer musk, muskrat is an ideal model animal for exploring musk biosynthetic mechanism. To explore the biosynthetic mechanism of muskrat musk, in the current study, transcriptomic analysis in the liver, kidney and musk glands of male muskrats between musk secreting and non-musk secreting stages was conducted. The findings indicated that the role of muskrat liver on musk biosynthesis was altering sugar, lipid and amino acid metabolism as well as producing basic resources to support musk glands. Moreover, Tigar, Slc11a2, Gpt, Hmgcr, Slc27a4, and Elovl1 were identified as candidate genes for musk biosynthesis via a remotely controlled process. Expression of the Tigar, Slc11a2, and Gpt genes in the liver are downregulated to support the production of musk in muskrat musk gland. And the Hmgcr, Slc27a4, and Elovl1 genes in the musk gland participate in muskrat musk synthesis by influencing lipid metabolism in the musk secreting period. This study provided novel insights into the musk biosynthetic pathway in muskrat by transcriptomic analysis and preliminarily suggested the remote control of metabolism from the liver to musk gland during musk biosynthesis, which was useful to further understanding the musk biosynthetic process and improve musk production in the future.

Analysis and comparison of blood metabolome of forest musk deer in musk secretion and non-secretion periods

Musk is an important animal product, but the musk secretion mechanism of forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii) is still unclear. The musk synthesis process in forest musk deer is extremely complex, and many raw materials are directly or indirectly derived from forest musk deer blood. In this study, metabolomics was used to analyze the blood of forest musk deer in secretory and non-secretory phases for the first time, aim at explaining the secretion mechanism from the perspective of blood metabolism. We found that P450-related, choline-related, axonal regeneration and other pathways and related metabolites were significantly enriched during the musk secretion of forest musk deer. These pathways and metabolites related to P450 and choline in blood may have important implications for the mechanism of musk secretion in forest musk deer, because blood components were closely related to musk components and could provide raw materials for musk synthesis in musk gland cells.

Mitigating abortion risk of synthetic musk-contained body wash in pregnant women: Risk assessment and mechanism analysis

Synthetic musks (SMs), the widely used odor component in personal care products have attracted attention due to their environmental impacts, especially the abortion risks. Given that women comprise a significant consumer demographic for personal care products, it is imperative to promptly initiate research on avoidance strategies for pregnant women concerning their exposure to synthetic chemicals (SMs). This study tried to establish novel theoretical approaches to eliminate the abortion risks of SM-contained body wash by designing the SM-contained proportioning scheme and analyzing the abortion risk mechanisms. The binding energy of SMs to estrogen-progesterone protein complex was used as an indicator of the abortion risk. A total of 324 SM-contained body wash proportioning schemes were designed using full factorial design and No. 218 was found as the most effective formula for body wash proportioning with the binding energy value of 68.6 kJ/mol. Results showed the abortion risk could be effectively alleviated (reduced 0.6%-163.4%) by regulating the proportioning scheme of SM-contained body wash. In addition, the mechanism analysis of SM-contained proportioning scheme proportioning scheme found that xanthan gum and disodium EDTA played essential roles in reducing the abortion risk in pregnant women after exposure. The selection of proper body wash components for reducing the abortion risk of SMs on pregnant women was first proposed. It sheds lights on the potential risks of people's daily life and proposes risk-eliminating strategies.

Correlation Analysis between Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) Musk and Traditional Musk

Muskrat musk is considered to be a potential substitute for traditional musk. However, little is known about the similarity between muskrat musk and musk, and whether it is related to muskrat age. In this study, muskrat musk (MR1, MR2, and MR3) were from 1, 2, and 3-year-old muskrats, respectively, and white musk (WM) and brown musk (BM) were picked from male forest musk deer. The results indicated that muskrat musk had higher similarity to WM than BM. Further research showed that RM3 had the highest matched degree with WM. By significantly different metabolite analysis, we found that 52 metabolites continue to increase from 1- to 3-year-old muskrats. In total, 7 and 15 metabolites were significantly decreased in RM1 vs. RM2 and RM2 vs. RM3, respectively. Meanwhile, 30 and 17 signaling pathways were observed from increased and decreased metabolites, respectively. The increased metabolites mainly entailed enrichment in amino acid biosynthesis and metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis, and fatty acid biosynthesis. In conclusion, muskrat musk from three-year-old muskrat is a relatively good substitute for white musk, and the result also implies that these biological processes of amino acid biosynthesis and metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis, and fatty acid biosynthesis are beneficial to the secretion of muskrat musk.

Synthesis of mixed musks via Eschenmoser-Tanabe fragmentation, enyne metathesis and Diels-Alder reaction as key steps

Musk analogues containing different macrocyclic ring systems as well as different annulated ring systems were synthesised by a simple and useful strategy. This strategy includes Eschenmoser-Tanabe fragmentation, enyne metathesis and Diels-Alder reaction as key steps. Starting from easily available (n) macrocyclic ketones, (n + 3) macrocyclic systems were assembled using the basic organic reactions.

Occurrence of Marine Ingredients in Fragrance: Update on the State of Knowledge

The fragrance field of perfumes has attracted considerable scientific, industrial, cultural, and civilizational interest. The marine odor is characterized by the specific smell of sea breeze, seashore, algae, and oyster, among others. Marine odor is a more recent fragrance and is considered as one of the green and modern fragrances. The smells reproducing the marine environment are described due to their content of Calone 1951 (7-methyl-2H-1,5-benzodioxepin-3(4H)-one), which is a synthetic compound. In addition to the synthetic group of benzodioxepanes, such as Calone 51 and its derivatives, three other groups of chemical compounds seem to represent the marine smell. The first group includes the polyunsaturated cyclic ((+)-Dictyopterene A) and acyclic (giffordene) hydrocarbons, acting as pheromones. The second group corresponds to polyunsaturated aldehydes, such as the (Z,Z)-3,6-nonadienal, (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal, which are most likely derived from the degradation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The third group is represented by small molecules such as sulfur compounds and halogenated phenols which are regarded as the main flavor compounds of many types of seafood. This review exposes, most notably, the knowledge state on the occurrence of marine ingredients in fragrance. We also provide a detailed discussion on several aspects of essential oils, which are the most natural ingredients from various marine sources used in fragrance and cosmetics, including synthetic and natural marine ingredients.