Human body odor, which contains several volatile organic compounds, possesses various odor qualities. To identify key volatile compounds responsible for the common unpleasant odors derived from human axillae and feet, the odor quality and intensity of 118 human axillae and feet were directly evaluated by sniffing, and odor compounds obtained from the subjects were identified. Furthermore, the sensory differences in odor intensity and quality with and without addition of butane-2,3-dione were evaluated by using the visual analog scale (VAS). An acidic odor was a common unpleasant note in human axillae and feet. Butane-2,3-dione was identified as a key compound associated with this odor. Strong positive correlations between the amount of butane-2,3-dione, and the odor intensities of axillae and feet were observed, and the addition of butane-2,3-dione solution to blended short-chain fatty-acid solutions caused significantly increased VAS values of axillary-like odor, unpleasantness, and odor intensity compared to those of each solution without added butane-2,3-dione.

The mechanisms underlying autonomic innervation to its targets involve various chemical factors, but have not yet been elucidated in detail. We constructed a co-culture system of neuronal cells and vascular smooth muscle cells to investigate the mechanisms underlying innervation of the vasculature. A co-culture with the vascular smooth muscle cell line, SM-3 significantly promoted cell viability, neurite extension, and neuropilin-1 (Nrp-1) mRNA expression in the cholinergic neuronal cell line, NG108-15. Furthermore, immunocytochemistry with or without a detergent treatment revealed that a co-culture with SM-3 cells or culturing with the conditioned medium of SM-3 cells translocated Nrp-1 onto the cell surface of growth cones rather than varicosities of NG108-15 cells. Immunofluorescent microscopy combined with a cold detergent treatment or cholesterol depletion revealed that Nrp-1 accumulated in putative raft domains in the plasma membrane of NG108-15 cells co-cultured with SM-3 cells. The results of the present study suggest that some soluble factors from smooth muscle cells may affect the localization of Nrp-1 in cholinergic neuronal cells, which may, in turn, be involved in the autonomic innervation of blood vessels.

The human body generates various malodor compounds in different body parts and even in the same parts. A more effective and versatile deodorant material that can suppress various key contributors to the body odor must be developed to improve the quality of life of affected individuals. In this study, activated carbon (AC) was found to have higher adsorption ability toward key body odor-generating compounds than zinc oxide (ZnO), which is a well-known deodorant material. To prevent pigmentation of human skin induced by the direct application of AC, white activated carbon (WAC) was developed by blending AC, titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ), and ammonium acrylate copolymer. AC to TiO 2 ratio of 1:6 was found to be the optimum blending ratio to form WAC. Compared with ZnO, this optimal WAC exhibited higher adsorption ability toward five key body odor compounds. The in vivo evaluation of the sample containing WAC revealed that it significantly suppressed the generation of axillary odor without a bactericidal effect. The developed WAC can effectively suppress the human body odor in different body parts. These findings are valuable for individuals experiencing psychological stress attributed to their unpleasant body odor.

In our previous study, we characterized the quality and intensity of axillary odors in Japanese males using sensory evaluation. In order to investigate sex differences in the Japanese population, we evaluated and compared axillary odors of 169 healthy Japanese individuals of both sexes. Odor intensity of females was weaker than that of males. Additionally, odor intensity of males decreased with age, which was not observed in females. A remarkable relationship between odor intensity and earwax types was observed in males, but less frequently in females. The most common axillary odor quality in our study population was a milk-like odor type M The percentage distribution of other odor quality types varied between sexes. Notably, females with acidic odor type A were fewer in number than males. Odor intensity tended to correlate positively with transepidermal water loss TEWL value within the group of female subjects with dry-type earwax. On the other hand, odor intensity was not related to shaving frequency or depilation treatment of axillary hair removal. These results show that the factors influencing axillary odor may differ between sexes.