Investigators have discovered that an olfactory receptor in white blood cells responds to Sandalore, a synthetic odorant with a sandalwood note.
The team identified 7 olfactory receptors in a chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cell line that were also present in white blood cells from patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
One of the highest expressed receptors, OR2AT4, responded to Sandalore by fighting off the leukemia.
The investigators believe this finding could aid the development of new treatment for AML.
Hanns Hatt, PhD, DrMed, of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum in Germany, and his colleagues described this work in Cell Death Discovery.
The team found 7 olfactory receptors in the CML cell line K562—OR51B4, OR51B5, OR52D1, OR2W3, OR2B6, OR2AT4, and OR51I2. These receptors were also expressed in samples from AML patients.
The investigators then found that OR2AT4, one of the highest expressed olfactory receptors, is activated by Sandalore.
If Sandalore was used to activate the receptor, it inhibited leukemia cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in the leukemia cells. It also induced erythroid differentiation.
In 2014, Dr Hatt and his colleagues discovered that OR2AT4 is present in skin cells and that, by activating it with sandalwood aroma, wound healing is promoted. Through a series of tests, the team identified the signaling pathways underlying the observed effects.
With the current study, the investigators found that if Sandalore activates OR2AT4 in the context of CML or AML, processes similar to those in the olfactory cells in the nose start in blood cells.
The concentration of calcium ions in the cells increases. This, in turn, activates signaling pathways in which phosphate groups are transmitted to MAP kinases.
“This could be a new starting point for the development of leukemia treatment,” Dr Hatt said. “Acute myeloid leukemia, in particular, is a disease for which specific medication is not, as yet, available.”
