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Chemical Senses Advance Access published online on June 12, 2009
Chemical Senses, doi:10.1093/chemse/bjp031
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Enhancement of Odorant-Induced Responses in Olfactory Receptor Neurons by Zinc Nanoparticles

Nilmini Viswaprakash, John C. Dennis, Ludmila Globa, Oleg Pustovyy, Eleanor M. Josephson, Patrick Kanju, Edward E. Morrison and Vitaly J. Vodyanoy

Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, Auburn University, 109 Greene Hall, Auburn, AL 36849, USA

Correspondence to be sent to: Vitaly Vodyanoy, Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, Auburn University, 109 Greene Hall, Auburn, AL 36849, USA. e-mail: vodyavi{at}auburn.edu


  Abstract

Zinc metal nanoparticles in picomolar concentrations strongly enhance odorant responses of olfactory sensory neurons. One- to 2-nm metallic particles contain 40–300 zinc metal atoms, which are not in an ionic state. We exposed rat olfactory epithelium to metal nanoparticles and measured odorant responses by electroolfactogram and whole-cell patch clamp. A small amount of zinc nanoparticles added to an odorant or an extracellular/intracellular particle perfusion strongly increases the odorant response in a dose-dependent manner. Zinc nanoparticles alone produce no odor effects. Copper, gold, or silver nanoparticles do not produce effects similar to those of zinc. If zinc nanoparticles are replaced by Zn+2 ions in the same concentration range, we observed a reduction of the olfactory receptor neuron odorant response. Based on these observations, we hypothesize that zinc nanoparticles are closely located to the interface between the guanine nucleotide-binding protein and the receptor proteins and are involved in transferring signals in the initial events of olfaction. Our results suggest that zinc metal nanoparticles can be used to enhance and sustain the initial olfactory events.

Key words: cAMP, electroolfactogram, G-protein, metal nanoparticles, metals, whole-cell recording, zinc

Accepted 14 May 2009


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