Recent Advances in Olfactory Receptor Biosensors and Cell Signaling Cascade Amplification Systems

There are a variety of methods to detect odorant molecules, including gas chromatography (GC) and its related coupled techniques, electronic noses, and olfactory receptor (OR)-based biosensors. Nevertheless, studies in which cell and cell signaling amplifier systems were directly utilizied to detect odors are very few. In this review, we aim to provide some references and suggestions for researchers in related fields by summarizing OR sensors and olfactory cell signaling cascade amplifier systems. In this paper, we summarize the detection methods for odorants, introduce the research and progress on OR sensors, and present a proposal of utilizing cell or tissue signaling cascade amplifier systems to amplify electrochemical signals and the use of the G protein signaling cascade amplifier system to prepare electrochemical biosensors. In recent years, the detection technology of electrochemical sensors has matured. Meanwhile, olfactory sensation within organisms basically transfer nerve signals or metabolic endocrine signals in the form of electrochemical signals. Therefore, ORs combined with cell signaling cascade amplifier systems, as well as electrochemical sensors of signal cascade amplifier systems, have incredible prospects for development and application. The proposal of OR electrochemical biosensors and their cell signaling cascade amplifier systems, provides a new idea and a quantitative method for the detection and assessment of odorants and their physiologic processes in the nervous system.