Ethnic/Racial and Genetic Influences on Cerumen Odorant Profiles

This report describes the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with human cerumen (earwax) and the effects of ethnicity/race and variation on the ATP-binding cassette, sub-family C, member 11 gene (ABCC11). A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in ABCC11 affects the cerumen VOC profiles of individuals from African, Caucasian, and Asian descent. Employing gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) we have identified the nature and relative abundance of cerumen VOCs from 32 male donors. Our results show that cerumen contains a complex mixture of VOCs and that the amounts of these compounds vary across individuals as well as across ethnic/racial groups. In six of the seven compounds whose detected concentrations were found to be statistically different across groups, individuals of African descent (AfD) > Caucasian descent (CaD) > Asians descent (AsD). Our findings also reveal that ABCC11 genotype alone does not predict the type and relative levels of volatiles found in human cerumen, and suggest that other biochemical pathways must be involved. Examination of the composition and diversity of external auditory canal microbiota in a small subset of our subject population revealed that the ear microbiota may not be directly correlated with either ethnic group membership or ABCC11 genotype.