Xiangjun Dong

College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China
Author    Correspondence author
Biological Evidence, 2024, Vol. 14, No. 4   doi: 10.5376/be.2024.14.0020
Received: 20 Jul., 2024    Accepted: 25 Aug., 2024    Published: 04 Sep., 2024

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Dong X.J., 2024, Screening BVOCs in Cypress cones to improve anxiety and insomnia and target prediction, Bioscience Evidence, 14(4): 184-194 (doi: 10.5376/be.2024.14.0020)

The Cypress (Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco) cones have a unique aroma and are commonly used in pillow fillings to alleviate anxiety and insomnia. In this study, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was employed to extract and analyze the biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) from Cypress cone shells, identifying a total of 28 components, with terpenoids comprising over 99% of the total. α-Pinene was the predominant component, accounting for 67% of the total content (176.328 μg/g). Target prediction identified significant interactions between 14 BVOCs and 19 protein targets, with (-)-α-Pinene, limonene, bornyl acetate, and 3-carene being potential key components for alleviating anxiety and insomnia. The primary targets were VDR (Vitamin D receptor), AchE (Acetylcholinesterase), CTSD (Cathepsin D), TRPV1 (Transient Receptor Potential Cation Channel Subfamily V Member 1), CNR2 (Cannabinoid receptor 2), and PPARα (Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha), which are mainly involved in neurotransmission and circadian rhythm regulation. Molecular docking simulations showed that the binding of α-Pinene and β-caryophyllene to PPARα and CNR2 proteins was primarily driven by hydrophobic forces, with binding energies ranging from -5.17 to -7.83 kcal/mol, suggesting that these BVOCs might alleviate anxiety and insomnia by influencing related functional proteins. This study reveals the potential mechanisms by which Cypress cone shells may help alleviate anxiety and insomnia.

Cypress cones (Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco); Biogenic volatile organic compounds; Target protein; Anxiety; Insomnia