Muscone is a potent anti-inflammatory agent, which has been implicated in reducing proinflammatory cytokines and end-plate degeneration [1]. Muscone is a territorial releaser pheromone in Moschus moschiferus. Muscone is not produced by humans. Muscone is animal pheromone with no effects on humans comparable to those of androstadienone [2]. (±)-Muscone is an odoriferous constituent of musk, a glandular secretion originally collected from the male musk deer [3].

In vitro: Muscone reversed IL-1β-induced upregulation of IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor α, cyclooxygenase 2, inducible nitric oxide synthase, matrix metalloproteinase 13, aggrecanase 2, and nitric oxide and downregulation of Col2α1 and aggrecan. In end-plate cartilage cultures, pretreatment with muscone (6.25, 12.5, 25 μmol/L) inhibited the IL-1β-induced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase in a dose-dependent manner [1].

In vivo: In a rat model with induced intervertebral disc degeneration, muscone inhibited the expression of prostaglandin E2, 6-keto-prostaglandin F1α, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor α and recovered the structural distortion of the degenerative disc [1].

References:
[1] Liang Q Q, Zhang M, Zhou Q, et al. Muscone protects vertebral end-plate degeneration by antiinflammatory property[J]. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, 2010, 468(6): 1600-1610.
[2] Jacob S, Garcia S, Hayreh D, et al. Psychological effects of musky compounds: comparison of androstadienone with androstenol and muscone[J]. Hormones and behavior, 2002, 42(3): 274-283.
[3] Fujimoto, S. ,Yoshikawa, K.,Itoh, M., et al. Synthesis of (R)- and (S)- muscone. Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry 66(6), 1389-1392 (2002).