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Respirology pp 25–30Cite as

Swelling of Erectile Nasal Tissue Induced by Human Sexual Pheromone

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Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((NR,volume 885))

Abstract

Most chemically mediated sexual communication in humans remains uncharacterized. Yet the study of sexual communication is decisive for understanding sexual behavior and evolutive mechanisms in our species. Here we provide the evidence to consider 4,16-androstadien-3-one (AND) as a man’s sexual pheromone. Our experiment provides support for the physiological effect of AND on nasal airway resistance (Rna) in women, as assessed by anterior rhinomanometry. We found that AND administration increased the area of turbinate during the ovulatory phase, resulting in an increase of Rna. Thus, we discovered that minute amounts of AND, acting through neuroendocrine brain control, regulate Rna and consequently affect the sexual physiology and behavior. Fascinatingly, this finding provides the evidence of the preservation of chemosexual communication in humans, which it has been largely neglected due to its unconscious perception and concealed nature. Therefore, chemical communication is a plesiomorphic evolutive phenomenon in humans.

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Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests in relation to this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physiology and Physiopathology Section, Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Science, University of Chieti-Pescara ‘G. d’Annunzio’, Chieti, Italy

    Andrea Mazzatenta, C. De Luca, A. Di Tano, M. Cacchio & C. Di Giulio

  2. Clinica Villa del Sole, Caserta, Italy

    C. De Luca

  3. Public Higher Medical Professional School in Opole, 68 Katowicka St., 45-060, Opole, Poland

    Mieczyslaw Pokorski

Authors
  1. Andrea Mazzatenta
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  2. C. De Luca
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  3. A. Di Tano
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  4. M. Cacchio
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  5. C. Di Giulio
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  6. Mieczyslaw Pokorski
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mieczyslaw Pokorski .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Nursing, Public Higher Medical Professional Schoo, Opole, Poland

    Mieczyslaw Pokorski

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© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Mazzatenta, A., De Luca, C., Di Tano, A., Cacchio, M., Di Giulio, C., Pokorski, M. (2015). Swelling of Erectile Nasal Tissue Induced by Human Sexual Pheromone. In: Pokorski, M. (eds) Respirology. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology(), vol 885. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/5584_2015_190

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