Effects of Fragrance-Loaded Mesoporous Silica Nanocolumns on Central Nervous System

Fragrances have rapid effect on our central nervous system, such as making the spirit of relaxation, relieving tensions and refreshing ourselves. However, the release of fragrances is not stable. Here, we added photo-driven mesoporous silica nanocolumns loaded with sandela 803 (MS-C@S803) into wallpaper to obtain fragrant wallpaper (MS-C-W@S803). We then analysed the effects of MS-C-W@S803 and pure sandela 803 treated wallpaper (W@S803) on the CNS of mice and explored the internal mechanism of these effects. Besides, we evaluated the short-term (7 days) and long-term (30 days) effects of the fragrance treated wallpaper. In behaviouristics level, we detected the anxiolytic effects via elevated plus maze and open field test. In tissue level, we analysed the neural activity in hippocampus, hypothalamus and olfactory bulb regions via measuring the electrophysiological signal. In cell level, we tested the nerve regeneration in hippocampus, substantia nigra and corpus striatum via immunofluorescence staining with the anti-BrdU antibody. In molecule level, we measured the expression of dopamine, acetylcholine, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) via liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Finally, we find that MS-C-W@S803 had anxiolytic effects on the CNS of mice, and the effects were more significant as time progresses.