Bad breath is not always associated with noncompliance with oral hygiene. Scientists say that in about 0.5 to 3 percent of the people cause bad smell are other sources. For example, a bad smell occurs when inflammation of the sinus cavities, esophagus, lung diseases and even due to the particular blood. However, the causes of the stench scientists are not fully established. But I think the answer is found, an international team of researchers that discovered another potential external source of bad breath – genes.
Scientists conducted a study of SELENBP1 protein and found that a mutation in its gene can cause the body to produce malodorous molecules. However, that is not less interesting, this gene may play a role in suppressing the development of tumors.
“It is important to establish the true cause persistent bad breath and be able to understand, it comes from a relatively harmless situation – gum disease, for example, or a more dangerous condition – the same cirrhosis of the liver,” says Professor Kent Lloyd University of California, Davis.
According to published in the scientific journal Nature Genetics paper, the researchers studied five volunteers, whose breath is like the smell of boiled cabbage. First they ruled out other potential sources of bad breath — diet, for example, and then analyzed the breath with equipment for gas chromatography. We are talking about high-tech artificial “nose”. In the end it turned out that the smell is created by a number of sulfur-containing molecules (e.g., metanolom and dimethyl sulfide). The researchers note that the same mechancial usually appears in the digestive process, but is broken down in the body.
In all patients, as it turned out, there is one common item. The researchers noted that each of them was observed a mutation in the gene SELENBP1. In addition, all have also experienced high levels mecantile and dimethyl sulphide in the blood. When the blood reaches the lungs, these smelly sulfur compounds leaving and exhale air.
The researchers decided to find out whether this gene is the cause of bad breath. To do this, they conducted an experiment in which laboratory mice, this gene was “off”. Scientists have found that in the blood plasma of all mutant rodents observed much higher levels of these odorous sulphur compounds (as in humans with a mutation in the studied gene). Thus, researchers have shown that a mutation in the gene SELENBP1 leads to the production of unpleasant smell (due to the production of certain proteins).
The results of the experiment showed that, perhaps, SELENBP1 is responsible for the production of the enzyme that destroys the odorous molecules. The study authors write that one of the probable functions of SELENBP1 may be the maintenance of low concentrations of exhaled matantala, but the mutation disrupts this process.
Unfortunately, the map in this case is supplied not only fresh breath. Within an earlier research, the scientists made the assumption that SELENBP1 may play a role in suppressing the development of cancer. Then it was noted that dogs are able to feel the “smell” of some tumors (e.g., breast cancer). Perhaps this is due to the fact that such diseases smell compounds that were not destroyed proteins, which are responsible for SELENBP1. And this “smell” feel animals. However, at the moment this is just a guess.
At the moment there is no way to treat bad breath (oral hygiene it only masks). However, genetic studies and a more complete understanding of the problem can help in the future in the development of the necessary therapy.
Scientists say the discovery of the gene bad breath
Nikolai Khizhnyak