Abstract
Musk is a secretion of the forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii). Normal musk is a brown solid secretion with a light fragrance. In this study, abnormal types of musk, namely, white and black musks, were discovered during the musk collection process. Researchers have long been concerned with the components of musk. Herein, GC-MS, headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME), and nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) were used to analyze the nonpolar organic components, volatile organic components, and sample similarities among different musks, respectively. Abundant steroid hormones and proteins were also found in the musk. The steroid hormone concentrations were detected using a radioimmunoassay (RIA). Proteins in the samples were hydrolyzed and the amino acids concentrations were detected. The steroid hormone and amino acid concentrations in white musk were significantly lower than in normal and black musks (p<0.05). The components were subjected to NMDS analysis to understand the differences in components among different types of musk, with the results suggesting that white musk was different from normal and black musks.
Highlights
In nature, many types of animals produce secretions through special glands, and many types of endocrine and exocrine secretion glands exist
Compared with normal musk samples, significant differences in these 13 components were observed in the abnormal musk samples
nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis helped to determine the similarity of different types of musk rather than judging by appearance
Summary
Many types of animals produce secretions through special glands, and many types of endocrine and exocrine secretion glands exist. Thorough research has determined the complex functions of particular glands. An important function of exocrine secretions is to spread olfactory information [1]. Humans have various ways to express information, while scent-marking and identification are strengths of many animals. Many large mammals use anal gland secretions (AGS) to mark their scent and declare territory [2,3,4,5]. Male rodents have developed preputial glands, often using preputial gland secretions and urine to spread odors [6, 7]. Many researchers have explored various methods for studying the complicated components in animal secretions. The most commonly implemented analytical techniques are gas chromatography (GC) [8], gas chromatography–mass spectrometry
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