Is this Aroma Therapy?

Wound healing is faster when skin cells are exposed to a certain sandalwood scent, but not others. German researchers have demonstrated the presence of very specific olfactory receptors in skin cells. Is this going to bring aroma therapy into mainstream medicine?

“The nose is not the only place where olfactory receptors occur.

Humans have approximately 350 different types of olfactory receptors in the nose. The function of those receptors has also been shown to exist in, for example spermatozoa, the prostate, the intestine and the kidneys. The team from Bochum has now discovered them in keratinocytes — cells that form the outermost layer of the skin…

The RUB researchers studied the olfactory receptor that occurs in the skin, namely OR2AT4, and discovered that it is activated by a synthetic sandalwood scent, so-called Sandalore. Sandalwood aroma is frequently used in incense sticks and is a popular component in perfumes. The activated OR2AT4 receptor triggers a calcium-dependent signal pathway. That pathway ensures an increased proliferation and a quicker migration of skin cells — processes which typically facilitate wound healing.”

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140708092555.htm