Zoology, chemical composition, pharmacology, quality control and future perspective of Musk (Moschus): a review

Abstract

Musk, the dried secretion from the musk sac gland which is located between the navel and genitals of mature male musk deer, is utilized as oriental medicine in east Asia. It has been utilized to treat conditions such as stroke, coma, neurasthenia, convulsions, and heart diseases in China since ancient times. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of musk in zoology, chemical composition, pharmacology, clinical applications, and quality control according to the up-to-date literature. Studies found that musk mainly contains macrocyclic ketones, pyridine, steroids, fatty acids, amino acids, peptides, and proteins, whilst the main active ingredient is muscone. Modern pharmacological studies have proven that musk possesses potent anti-inflammatory effects, neuroprotective effects, anti-cancer effects, antioxidant effects, etc. Moreover, muscone, the main active ingredient, possesses anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, antioxidant, and other pharmacological effects. In the quality control of musk, muscone is usually the main detection indicator, and the common analytical method is GC, and researchers have established novel and convenient methods such as HPLC-RI, RP-UPLC-ELSD, and Single-Sweep Polarography. In addition, quality evaluation methods based on steroids and the bioactivity of musk have been established. As for the identification of musk, due to various objective factors such as the availability of synthetic Muscone, it is not sufficient to rely on muscone alone as an identification index. To date, some novel technologies have also been introduced into the identification of musk, such as the electronic nose and DNA barcoding technology. In future research, more in vivo experiments and clinical studies are encouraged to fully explain the pharmacological effects and toxicity of musk, and more comprehensive methods are needed to evaluate and control the quality of musk.

Standardization Study of Khurtsiin deed-6 Traditional Medicine

“…Modern pharmacological studies have proven that musk and muscone, the main active ingredient possess potent anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anticancer, and antioxidant effects and other pharmacological effects. 9 Although biologically active substances in each plant of Khurtsiin Deed-6 traditional medicine were identified by other studies, we are not aware of any study of the biologically active substances content of Khurtsiin Deed-6, a 6-ingredient traditional medicine. Therefore, there is a need to determine the optimal condition to reveal biological active compounds of ingredients of traditional medicine, the content of compounds, and quality and safety parameters of Khurtsiin Deed-6 traditional medicine.…”

Synthesis of Cyclic Fragrances via Transformations of Alkenes, Alkynes and Enynes: Strategies and Recent Progress

“…The utilization of machine learning, artificial intelligence and brain–computer interfaces for fragrance design, synthesis and quantitative olfactory studies is expected to show rapid growth [ 165 , 166 , 167 , 168 , 169 , 170 , 171 , 172 , 173 ]. The safety, therapeutic efficacy, allergic effect and biodegradability of these new fragrances should also be investigated further, especially in the case of fragrances containing new scaffolds [ 174 , 175 , 176 , 177 , 178 , 179 , 180 ].…”

Transcriptome profiling of lung immune responses potentially related to acute respiratory distress syndrome in forest musk deer

“…Moreover, forest musk deer are classified as a first-class nationally-protected wildlife species under the Chinese Wild Animal Protection Law [ 2 , 3 ]. Forest musk deer can secrete the musk, which has multiple potential pharmacological properties such as neuroprotective, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer effects in the traditional Asian medicine industry [ 4 , 5 ]. Moreover, musk has been widely used in the international perfume industry [ 6 , 7 ].…”