Contact Information

George Preti

Member

Education

Ph.D., Organic Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Research Summary

Research in my laboratory focuses upon the nature and origin of human odors, particularly those from the underarm (axillae) and the oral cavity. We have identified the structures of many human axillary odorants, demonstrated the presence of human primer and modulator pheromones in the axillary secretions and have used our knowledge of body chemistry to diagnose disease and the time of optimum fertility in females. We are pursuing the structures of the active pheromone constituents via a bioassay-guided isolation procedure as well as employing gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to generate metabolic profiles (“metabolomics”) of human urine, skin and axillary secretions to identify biomarkers of disease, individual identity and stress. In addition we study the amelioration of malodors from humans with the odor producing metabolic disease, Trimethylaminuria, as well as from agricultural and environmental activities via cross-adaptation, odor absorption and anti-microbial agents.

Keywords

olfaction, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, olfactometry, organic-analytical chemistry, human body odors, human stress odors, malodor amelioration, odor and disease, human odorprints, agricultural and environmental odors

Recent Publications

Preti, G. & Leyden, J. J. (2010). Genetic influences on human body odor: From genes to the axillae. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 130, 344-346.

Wysocki, C. J., Louie, J., Leyden, J. J., Blank, D., Gill, M., Smith, L. et al. (2009). Cross-adaptation of a model human stress-related odor with fragrance chemicals and ethyl esters of axillary odorants: gender-specific effects. Flavour and Fragrance Journal. doi:10.1002/ffj.1927

Kwak, J., Curran-Opiekun, M., Matsumura, K., Preti, G., Yamazaki, K., & Beauchamp, G. K. (2009). Major histocompatibility complex-regulated odortypes: Peptide-free urinary volatile signals. Physiology & Behavior, 96, 184-188.

Wysocki, C. J. & Preti, G. (2009). Pheromones in mammals. In L.R.Squire (Ed.), Encylcopedia of Neuroscience, volume 7 (pp. 625-632). Oxford: Academic Press.

Preti, G., Thaler, E., Hanson, CW., Troy, M., Eades, J., & Gelperin, A. (2009). Volatile compounds characteristic of sinus-related bacteria and infected sinus mucus: analysis by solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Journal of Chromatography B: Analytical Technologies in the Biomedical and Life Sciences, 877, 2011-2018.

Gallagher, M., Wysocki, C. J., Leyden, J. J., Spielman, A. I., Sun, X., & Preti, G. (2008). Analyses of volatile organic compounds from human skin. British Journal of Dermatology, 159, 780-791.

Gallagher, M., Dalton, P., Sitvarin.L., & Preti, G. (2008). Sensory and analytical evaluation of paints with and without Texanol. Environmental Science & Technology, 42, 243-248.

Kwak, J., Willse, A., Matsumura, K., Preti, G., Yamazaki, K., & Beauchamp, G. K. (2008). Genetically-based olfactory signatures persist despite dietary variation. PLoS ONE. 2008;3(10):e3591; doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0003591

Lundstrom, J. N., Wysocki, C. J., Olsson, M. J., Yamazaki, K., & Preti, G. (2008). Explaining the association between kinship and fertility. Science, 320, 1160-1161.

Miyazawa, T., Gallagher, M., Preti, G., & Wise, P. M. (2008). The impact of sub-threshold carboxylic acids on the odor intesity of supra-threshold flavor compounds. Chemosensory Perception, 1, 163-167.

Miyazawa, T., Gallagher, M., Preti, G., & Wise, P. M. (2008, electronic publication). Synergistic mixture interactions in detection of perithreshold odors by humans. Chemical Senses.

Whittle, C. L., Fakharzadeh, S., Eades, J., & Preti, G. (2007). Human breath odors and their use in diagnosis. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1098, 252-266.

Wise, P. M., Miyazawa, T., Gallagher, M., & Preti, G. (2007). Human odor detection of homologous carboxylic acids and their binary mixtures. Chemical Senses, 32, 475-482.

Preti, G., Willse, A., Labows, J. N., Leyden, J. J., Wahl.J., & Kwak, J. (2006). On the definition and measurement of human scent: comments on Curran et al. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 32, 1613-1616.

Willse, A., Kwak, J., Yamazaki, K., Preti, G., Wahl, J. H., & Beauchamp, G. K. (2006). Individual odortypes: Interaction of MHC and background genes. Immunogenetics 58, 967-982.

Martins, Y., Preti, G., Crabtree, C. R., & Wysocki, C. J. (2005). Preference for human body odors is influenced by gender and sexual orientation. Psychological Science, 16, 694-701.