Akikazu Hatanaka

Alleviating effects of plant-derived fragrances on stress-induced hyperthermia in rats

In the present study, the effects of exposure to plant-derived odors on the autonomic and behavioral responses to novel environment were examined in rats. Male rats (n=42) carrying a telemetry transmitter were individually housed, and on the test day each rat was transferred to a new cage containing bedding that had been sprayed immediately before testing with 200 microl of 0.03% dilution of either lavender essential oil, green leaf odor (a mixture of hexenol and hexenal), alpha-pinene, or solvent (triethyl citrate) as a control. Following the transfer to this novel environment, the body temperature of the rats increased by nearly 1 degrees C, showing a stress-induced hyperthermia. Stress-induced hyperthermia was attenuated by the green odor and the alpha-pinene, but not by the lavender or solvent. There was no clear effect of fragrances on heart rate or behavioral responses. These results suggest that plant-derived fragrances, such as green odor and alpha-pinene, have calming effects on autonomic stress response to novel environments.

Biogeneration of Green Odor Emitted by Green Leaves — On HPO Lyase and Relationship of LOX-HPO Lyase Activities to Environmental Stimuli

What is the so called green odor ? The so called green odor distributed in fresh leaves in forest, vegetables and fruits involved from eight volatile C6 components such as (3Z)-, (3E)- and (2E)-hexenols and these corresponding aldehydes, added n-hexanal and n-hexanol. Since 1957, we have been conducting studies on these compounds found in tea leaves, using inter-disciplinary approaches including synthetic chemistry, natural products chemistry, physiological biochemistry and molecular biology.