Ethanol Extract of Polygonatumofficinale Rhizome Inhibits Odorant-Induced Camp and Calcium Levels in Non-Chemosensory 3T3-L1 Cells

Polygonatum Officinalerhizome, a member of the liliaceae family, is commonly consumed as tea in Asia. It is also clinically used to treat obesity and fatigue in Korean traditional medicine. Although the anti-diabetic effect of POR has been described, little is known about its physiological role in the olfactory system. In this study, we investigated the effects of POR in 3T3-L1 cells expressing an odorant receptor. We have shown that the levels of cAMP and Ca 2+ and the phosphorylation of Rap1A and CREB increased in response to an odorant, eugenol. POR significantly decreased the eugenol-induced increase in cAMP and Ca 2+ . Taken together, these data suggest that POR inhibits an odorant-induced signal transduction pathway.