Volatile Compounds in Musk and Their Anti-Stroke Mechanisms

<b>Background/Objectives:</b> Musk is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine derived from musk deer that has the pharmacological effects of “activating blood dredging collateral” and “consciousness-restoring resuscitation”. Its volatile compounds (VCs) play a key role in these effect...

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Main Authors: Chengli Zheng, Xin Shi, Qinling Yang, Zhongkun Cai, Xiao Wang, Liuqing Yang, Xue Bai, Xiuxiang Meng, Diyan Li, Hang Jie
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Metabolites
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/15/3/181
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author Chengli Zheng
Xin Shi
Qinling Yang
Zhongkun Cai
Xiao Wang
Liuqing Yang
Xue Bai
Xiuxiang Meng
Diyan Li
Hang Jie
author_facet Chengli Zheng
Xin Shi
Qinling Yang
Zhongkun Cai
Xiao Wang
Liuqing Yang
Xue Bai
Xiuxiang Meng
Diyan Li
Hang Jie
author_sort Chengli Zheng
collection DOAJ
description <b>Background/Objectives:</b> Musk is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine derived from musk deer that has the pharmacological effects of “activating blood dredging collateral” and “consciousness-restoring resuscitation”. Its volatile compounds (VCs) play a key role in these effects, especially in the treatment of stroke. However, there have been no comprehensive studies on the differences in the VCs of these different musks. This study investigated the differences in the VCs of different musks and the potential targets and mechanisms of action for stroke. <b>Methods:</b> Different musks were studied via GC–MS, and the potential targets and mechanisms of VCs associated with stroke were investigated using network pharmacology. <b>Results:</b> A total of 99 VCs were detected in 79 musk samples. The most important VCs of different colours and forms were muscone, phenol, acetic acid, and isovaleric acid. Further study revealed that the change in organic acids and ketones was the cause of the significant difference between white musk and other types of musk. In addition, network pharmacological analyses identified 180 potential targets of the major volatile compounds of musk associated with stroke, and five key targets (<i>SRC</i>, <i>EGFR</i>, <i>ESR1</i>, <i>PTGS2</i>, and <i>DRD2</i>). Enrichment analysis showed that these key targets play an important role in neural related pathways. The molecular docking results confirmed that the key targets can effectively bind with the main VCs (muscone and phenol). <b>Conclusions:</b> These findings provide valuable insights into the distinct volatile compositions of various types of musk and underscore the significant potential of volatile compounds (VCs) in stroke treatment.
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spelling doaj-art-aa2cc891eb4642679be9bec5f9897c752025-08-20T01:49:05ZengMDPI AGMetabolites2218-19892025-03-0115318110.3390/metabo15030181Volatile Compounds in Musk and Their Anti-Stroke MechanismsChengli Zheng0Xin Shi1Qinling Yang2Zhongkun Cai3Xiao Wang4Liuqing Yang5Xue Bai6Xiuxiang Meng7Diyan Li8Hang Jie9Sichuan Institute of Musk Deer Breeding, Sichuan Institute for Drug Control, Chengdu 611845, ChinaSichuan Institute of Musk Deer Breeding, Sichuan Institute for Drug Control, Chengdu 611845, ChinaJinfo Mountain Forestry Ecosystem of Chongqing Observation and Research Station, Chongqing Institute of Medicinal Plant Cultivation, Chongqing 408435, ChinaSchool of Pharmacy, Chengdu University, Chengdu 610106, ChinaShimadzu Enterprise Management (China) Co., Ltd., Chengdu 610023, ChinaSichuan Institute of Musk Deer Breeding, Sichuan Institute for Drug Control, Chengdu 611845, ChinaSchool of Pharmacy, Chengdu University, Chengdu 610106, ChinaSchool of Ecology and Environment, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, ChinaSchool of Pharmacy, Chengdu University, Chengdu 610106, ChinaJinfo Mountain Forestry Ecosystem of Chongqing Observation and Research Station, Chongqing Institute of Medicinal Plant Cultivation, Chongqing 408435, China<b>Background/Objectives:</b> Musk is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine derived from musk deer that has the pharmacological effects of “activating blood dredging collateral” and “consciousness-restoring resuscitation”. Its volatile compounds (VCs) play a key role in these effects, especially in the treatment of stroke. However, there have been no comprehensive studies on the differences in the VCs of these different musks. This study investigated the differences in the VCs of different musks and the potential targets and mechanisms of action for stroke. <b>Methods:</b> Different musks were studied via GC–MS, and the potential targets and mechanisms of VCs associated with stroke were investigated using network pharmacology. <b>Results:</b> A total of 99 VCs were detected in 79 musk samples. The most important VCs of different colours and forms were muscone, phenol, acetic acid, and isovaleric acid. Further study revealed that the change in organic acids and ketones was the cause of the significant difference between white musk and other types of musk. In addition, network pharmacological analyses identified 180 potential targets of the major volatile compounds of musk associated with stroke, and five key targets (<i>SRC</i>, <i>EGFR</i>, <i>ESR1</i>, <i>PTGS2</i>, and <i>DRD2</i>). Enrichment analysis showed that these key targets play an important role in neural related pathways. The molecular docking results confirmed that the key targets can effectively bind with the main VCs (muscone and phenol). <b>Conclusions:</b> These findings provide valuable insights into the distinct volatile compositions of various types of musk and underscore the significant potential of volatile compounds (VCs) in stroke treatment.https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/15/3/181<i>Moschus berezovskii</i>muskvolatile compoundsstrokeGC-MS
spellingShingle Chengli Zheng
Xin Shi
Qinling Yang
Zhongkun Cai
Xiao Wang
Liuqing Yang
Xue Bai
Xiuxiang Meng
Diyan Li
Hang Jie
Volatile Compounds in Musk and Their Anti-Stroke Mechanisms
Metabolites
<i>Moschus berezovskii</i>
musk
volatile compounds
stroke
GC-MS
title Volatile Compounds in Musk and Their Anti-Stroke Mechanisms
title_full Volatile Compounds in Musk and Their Anti-Stroke Mechanisms
title_fullStr Volatile Compounds in Musk and Their Anti-Stroke Mechanisms
title_full_unstemmed Volatile Compounds in Musk and Their Anti-Stroke Mechanisms
title_short Volatile Compounds in Musk and Their Anti-Stroke Mechanisms
title_sort volatile compounds in musk and their anti stroke mechanisms
topic <i>Moschus berezovskii</i>
musk
volatile compounds
stroke
GC-MS
url https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/15/3/181
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