Optimizing Odorants for Olfactory Training Based on Olfactory Receptor-Ligand Pair Analysis

Area of Science:

• Olfactory neuroscience
• Computational biology
• Receptor pharmacology

Background:

• Olfactory training (OT) is used to improve smell function.
• Current OT methods lack a scientific basis for odorant selection.
• Optimizing OT requires understanding olfactory receptor (OR) and odorant interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify an optimal odorant combination for maximal human olfactory receptor stimulation.
• To compare the efficacy of a novel odorant combination against classical OT odorants.

Main Methods:

• Analyzed 75,050 OR-odor pair experiments from the M2OR database.
• Integrated human olfactory epithelium transcriptomic data to identify highly expressed ORs.
• Evaluated odorant interactions with abundant ORs to determine optimal combinations.

Main Results:

• A novel four-odorant combination (galaxolide, eugenol acetate, [-]-menthol, geranyl acetate) stimulates 83.9% of ORs, covering 69.9% of expression.
• Classical OT odorants (rose, lemon, eucalyptus, clove) stimulate 39.2% of ORs, covering 32.9% of expression.
• The novel combination offers significantly broader receptor activation than classical odorants.

Conclusions:

• A receptor-based approach provides a scientifically grounded method for optimizing olfactory training.
• The novel odorant combination shows potential for improved therapeutic efficacy in OT.
• Further clinical validation is required to confirm the therapeutic benefits.