체취와 귀지-동일한 분비샘(아포크린 땀샘)

귀지도 인종 따라 달라...백인이 더 지저분?

입력 F 2014.02.19 10:55 수정 2014.02.19 10:59

성별·건강 상태 등 알 수 있어 

인종 간에 두드러진 차이점을 꼽으라면 피부색이나 머리카락 혹은 눈동자의 색깔 정도가 떠오를 것이다. 하지만 최신 연구에 따르면, 귓구멍 속에 있는 때의 일종인 귀지마저 인종에 따라 차이가 있는 것으로 나타났다. 

미국 모넬센터 연구팀에 따르면, 악취의 원인이 되는 화합물이 특정 인종의 귀지에 더 많이 포함돼 있다는 것이다. 냄새를 생산하는 분자인 휘발성 화합물이 동아시아인보다 코카서스인(백인)의 귀지에서 더 많이 발견된 것이다. 

모넬센터 유기화학자 조지 프레티 박사는 “우리의 지난 연구에 따르면 겨드랑이 냄새는 성별, 성적 기호, 건강 상태 등을 포함한 개인의 신원에 대한 정보를 제공한다”며 “아마 귀지도 이와 유사한 정보를 포함하고 있을 것으로 보인다”고 말했다. 

연구팀의 또 다른 연구에 따르면 동아시아인의 혈통은 북미 원주민의 혈통과 마찬가지로 건조한 타입의 귀지를 가지고 있고 겨드랑이 냄새도 적게 난다. 반면 코카서스인은 황갈색을 띠는 눅눅한 귀지를 가지고 있고 암내도 동아시아인에 비해 상대적으로 많이 나는 특징을 보인다. 

연구팀은 이번 연구를 진행하기 위해 건강한 코카서스인 8명과 동아시아인 8명으로부터 귀지 샘플을 추출했다. 그리고 귀지를 유리병에 담아 휘발성 유기화합물이 방출되도록 30분간 열을 가했다. 

그 결과, 모든 실험참가자들의 귀지에서 총 12종류의 휘발성 유기화합물이 검출됐다. 또 각 화합물의 수치는 코카서스인과 동아시아인 사이에서 확연한 차이를 보였다. 전체 유기화합물 중 11가지에서 코카서스인이 동아시아인보다 높은 수치를 보인 것이다. 

이번 연구는 크로마토그래피B 저널(Journal of Chromatography B) 온라인판에 실렸고 미국 언론매체 허핑턴포스트가 보도했다. 

그래서 몸에서 암내가 나는 사람은 귀지가 촉촉하다고하네요.

원문

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140212112121.htm

Human earwax: Overlooked source of personal information?

Date:

February 12, 2014

Source:

Monell Chemical Senses Center

Summary:

Scientists have used analytical organic chemistry to identify the presence of odor-producing chemical compounds in human earwax. Further, the amounts of these compounds differ between individuals of East Asian origin and Caucasians. The findings suggest that human earwax could be an overlooked source of personal information.

Scientists from the Monell Center have used analytical organic chemistry to identify the presence of odor-producing chemical compounds in human earwax. Further, they found that the amounts of these compounds differ between individuals of East Asian origin and Caucasians. The findings suggest that human earwax, an easily obtained bodily secretion, could be an overlooked source of personal information.

"Our previous research has shown that underarm odors can convey a great deal of information about an individual, including personal identity, gender, sexual orientation, and health status," said study lead author George Preti, PhD, an organic chemist at Monell. "We think it possible that earwax may contain similar information."

Earwax, scientifically known as cerumen, is a mixture of secretions from specialized sweat glands with fatty materials secreted from sebaceous glands. It can have one of two physical types: a wet yellow-brown wax or a dry white wax.

Preti's interest in earwax was piqued by the finding that a small change in a gene known as ABCC11 is related both to underarm odor production and also to whether a person has wet or dry earwax.

Individuals of East Asian (e.g., Chinese, Korean and Japanese) and Native American descent have a form of the ABCC11 gene that codes both for dry-type earwax and also for reduced underarm body odor relative to individuals of other ethnicities, who typically produce a wet-type ear wax and greater body odor.

To explore whether earwax has a characteristic odor, the researchers collected earwax from 16 healthy men: eight Caucasian and eight of East Asian descent. Each sample was placed into a vial, which was gently heated for 30 minutes to promote release of airborne molecules known as volatile organic compounds ( VOCs), many of which are odorous.

An absorbent device was then inserted through the vial's cap to collect VOCs from the closed containers, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques used to analyze the chemical compounds.

The analysis revealed 12 VOCs were consistently present in the earwax of all the men. However, the amount of VOCs varied as a function of the subject's ethnic background, with Caucasians having greater amounts of 11 of the 12 VOCs than East Asians.

"In essence, we could obtain information about a person's ethnicity simply by looking in his ears. While the types of odorants were similar, the amounts were very different," said study lead author Katharine Prokop-Prigge, a Monell chemist.

The researchers suspect that the fatty nature of earwax makes it a likely repository for lipid-soluble odorants produced by certain diseases and the environment.

Prokop-Prigge points out that at least two odor-producing metabolic diseases (maple syrup urine disease and alkaptonuria) can be identified in earwax before they can be diagnosed using traditional techniques such as blood and urine analysis.

"Odors in earwax may be able to tell us what a person has eaten and where they have been," said Preti. "Earwax is a neglected body secretion whose potential as an information source has yet to be explored."

Future studies will examine these possibilities.

---

Story Source:

The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Monell Chemical Senses Center. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Katharine A. Prokop-Prigge, Erica Thaler, Charles J. Wysocki, George Preti. Identification of volatile organic compounds in human cerumen. Journal of Chromatography B, 2014; DOI:10.1016/j.jchromb.2014.01.043