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Tognetti A, Saluja S, Lybert N, Lasselin J, Tamm S, Lensmar C, Karshikoff B, Cervenka S, Lekander M, Olsson MJ. Olfactory Cues of Naturally Occurring Systemic Inflammation: A Pilot Study of Seasonal Allergy. Neuroimmunomodulation 2023; 30:338-345. [PMID: 37972578 DOI: 10.1159/000535047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In an attempt to avoid contact with infectious individuals, humans likely respond to generalized rather than specific markers of disease. Humans may thus perceive a noninfectious individual as socially less attractive if they look (e.g., have facial discolouration), move (e.g., have a slower walking pace), or sound (e.g., sneeze) sick. This pilot study tested whether humans are averse to the body odour of noninfectious individuals with a low-grade systemic inflammation. METHODS We collected the axillary body odour of individuals with severe seasonal allergy (N = 14) and healthy controls (N = 10) during and outside the allergy season and measured serum levels of two inflammatory cytokines (tumour necrosis factor-α and interleukin-5). Independent participants (N = 67) then sampled and rated these odours on intensity and pleasantness. RESULTS While individuals with seasonal allergy had nominally more unpleasant and intense body odours during the allergy season, relative to outside the allergy season and to healthy controls, these effects were not significant. When examining immune markers, the change in perceived pleasantness of an individual's body odour (from out-to-inside pollen season) was significantly related to the change in their interleukin-5 levels but not to tumour necrosis factor-α. DISCUSSION Our findings tentatively suggest that the human olfactory system could be sensitive to inflammation as present in a noncommunicable condition. Larger replications are required to determine the role of olfaction in the perception of infectious and noninfectious (e.g., chronic diseases) conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaud Tognetti
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- CEE-M, CNRS, INRAE, Institut Agro, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Supreet Saluja
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Nathalie Lybert
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Julie Lasselin
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Osher Center for Integrative Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sandra Tamm
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Catarina Lensmar
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Osher Center for Integrative Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Bianka Karshikoff
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Social Studies, Stavanger University, Stavanger, Norway
| | - Simon Cervenka
- Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Medical Science, Psychiatry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Mats Lekander
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Osher Center for Integrative Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mats J Olsson
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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Gouzerh F, Buatois B, Hervé MR, Mancini M, Maraver A, Dormont L, Thomas F, Ganem G. Odours of cancerous mouse congeners: detection and attractiveness. Biol Open 2022; 11:275010. [PMID: 35403195 PMCID: PMC9065363 DOI: 10.1242/bio.059208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemical communication plays a major role in social interactions. Cancer, by inducing changes in body odours, may alter interactions between individuals. In the framework of research targeting non-invasive methods to detect early stages of cancer development, this study asked whether untrained mice could detect odour changes in cancerous congeners. If yes, were they able to detect cancer at an early developmental stage? Did it influence female preference? Did variations in volatile organic components of the odour source paralleled mice behavioural responses? We used transgenic mice strains developing or not lung cancer upon antibiotic ingestion. We sampled soiled bedding of cancerous mice (CC) and not cancerous mice (NC), at three experimental conditions: before (T0), early stage (T2) and late stage (T12) of cancer development. Habituation/generalisation and two-way preference tests were performed where soiled beddings of CC and NC mice were presented to wild-derived mice. The composition and relative concentration of volatile organic components (VOC) in the two stimuli types were analysed. Females did not show directional preference at any of the experimental conditions, suggesting that cancer did not influence their choice behaviour. Males did not discriminate between CC and NC stimuli at T0 but did so at T2 and T12, indicating that wild-derived mice could detect cancer at an early stage of development. Finally, although the VOC bouquet differed between CC and NC it did not seem to parallel the observed behavioural response suggesting that other types of odorant components might be involved in behavioural discrimination between CC and NC mice. Summary: Male mice could discriminate the smell of cancerous congeners even when the tumour was hardly detectable by other means; however, females did not discriminate against the smell of males carrying cancerous tumours. Odorant molecules other than volatile organic compounds analysed here might explain the observed behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flora Gouzerh
- CREEC/ MIVEGEC, UMR IRD 224-CNRS 5290-Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.,CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France
| | - Bruno Buatois
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France
| | - Maxime R Hervé
- IGEPP, INRAE, Institut Agro, Univ Rennes, 35000, Rennes, France
| | | | | | - Laurent Dormont
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France
| | - Frédéric Thomas
- CREEC/ MIVEGEC, UMR IRD 224-CNRS 5290-Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Guila Ganem
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, ISEM, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France
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