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Query: UMLS:C0009443 (cold)
 92,137 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The effects of sucking a lozenge containing 11 mg L-menthol on reaction time and nasal sensation were investigated in a double blind trial on 60 subjects suffering from the common cold. Reaction time was determined by measuring the response time to a stimulus presented on a microcomputer screen and nasal sensation was scored on a visual analogue scale. Menthol ingestion compared to placebo caused a significant increase in nasal sensation of airflow which persisted for up to 30 min. The simple and choice reaction times measured before ingestion of the lozenge were similar to those found in healthy uninfected subjects and there was no change in reaction time after ingestion of menthol.
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PMID:The effects of menthol on reaction time and nasal sensation of airflow in subjects suffering from the common cold. 232 78

The effect of menthol on the discharge pattern of feline nasal and lingual cold receptors was analyzed in order to elucidate the underlying sensory transducer mechanism. A repetitive beating activity and burst (grouped) discharges were observed in both cold receptor populations at constant temperatures and after rapid cooling. An analysis of the impulse activity revealed a cyclic pattern of impulse generation, which suggested the existence of an underlying receptor potential oscillation that initiates impulses in the afferent nerve when it exceeds a threshold value. The frequency and amplitude of the periodic impulse-inducing receptor processes were characterized by the burst frequency, which increased with warming, and by the average number of impulses generated during each cycle, which increased with cooling. Menthol at micromolar concentrations induced an acceleration of the burst frequency at higher temperatures, but reduced the burst frequency in the midtemperature range. At temperatures above 25 degrees C, menthol increased the number of impulses elicited during each cycle and induced bursting in previously repetitively discharging fibers. At low temperatures, menthol suppressed bursting and finally inhibited all cold receptor activity. The impulse pattern at constant temperatures and during the dynamic response to rapid cooling was comparably affected by menthol. Calcium application completely abolished the stimulating menthol effect. Since, in equal concentrations, menthol specifically impairs neuronal calcium currents, the results are consistent with the conjecture that in cold receptors, menthol reduces the activation of a calcium-stimulated outward current by an impeding effect on a calcium conductance, thereby inducing depolarization and a modification of bursting behavior. The data confirm the hypothesis of a calcium-controlled outward conductance being involved in the generation of cyclic afferent activity in cold receptors.
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PMID:Effect of menthol on cold receptor activity. Analysis of receptor processes. 379 39

Aqueous solutions of menthol were found to affect oral thermal sensation in the following ways: When menthol solutions were sipped and held in the mouth for 5 sec, solutions above oral temperature felt significantly warmer than deionized water of the same temperature (warmth enhancement). Menthol solutions below oral temperature felt cooler than water of the same temperature, but only slightly so (cold enhancement); Pretreating the mouth with 0.02% menthol for 5 min strengthened cold enhancement but attenuated sensations of warmth (warmth attenuation); Pretreating for 10 min produced continued cold enhancement while judgments of warmth returned to normal levels; L-menthol cooled more effectively than d-menthol, but d-menthol attenuated warmth at least as much as l-menthol. Possible explanations for the intermodal differences are discussed, and suggestions are made for future research into menthol's unexpectedly complex perceptual effects.
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PMID:Menthol modulates oral sensations of warmth and cold. 407 Apr 14

Total nasal resistance to airflow was measured in thirty-one subjects before and after five minutes' exposure to menthol vapour. Menthol inhalation had no consistent effect on nasal resistance but the majority of subjects reported an increased sensation of nasal airflow and a cooling effect of menthol. The results indicate that menthol stimulates cold receptors in the nasal mucosa to create an increased sensation of airflow. No evidence was found in support of any nasal decongestant action for menthol.
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PMID:The effect of menthol on nasal resistance to air flow. 688 30

Menthol and related cooling compounds such as 'coolant agent 10', are widely used in products ranging from common cold medications to toothpastes, confectionery, cosmetics and pesticides. The review brings together a range of information on production and chemistry of menthol, and its metabolism, mechanism of action, structure-activity relationships, pharmacology and toxicology. In particular, the coolant action and carminative actions of menthol are discussed in terms of actions on calcium conductance in sensory nerves and smooth muscle. The actions of menthol on the nose, respiratory reflexes, oral cavity, skin and gastrointestinal tract are reviewed.
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PMID:Menthol and related cooling compounds. 752 6

Menthol, a tangible substance present in many orally administered products, can produce a powerful influence on the perceived intensity of subsequent thermal stimulation in humans as well as the response magnitudes of thermally sensitive neurons in rats. However, there are no prior studies examining the influence of adaptation temperature on perceived intensity and/or response magnitudes of thermally sensitive neurons to subsequent menthol stimulation. We identified 32 thermally sensitive neurons that increased their discharge rate to a gradual temperature decrement beginning from 35 degrees C and dropping to 10 degrees C at 1 degree C/s. Based on their response threshold, time-to-peak, and range of sensitivity, these thermally sensitive lingual neurons were found to be divisible into two distinct groups. Group 1 neurons (n = 21) responded best to the upper cool range (34-15 degrees C) of the temperature decrement, whereas Group 2 neurons (n = 11) responded to the lower cold range (32-10 degrees C) of the temperature decrement. Our Group 1 and Group 2 neurons may be analogous to low threshold and high threshold cold receptors identified previously in primates. We also examined the responses of lingual neurons to 0%, 25%, 50% and 75% dilution's of a stock menthol concentration (1.28 mM) at 25 and 35 degrees C adaptation temperatures. Menthol responses across all concentrations were far larger after adaptation to 35 degrees C compared to 25 degrees C. Furthermore, only during 35 degrees C adaptation did responses to menthol stimulation persist during the ensuing 20 s after menthol off-set and water on-set.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Tongue adaptation temperature influences lingual nerve responses to thermal and menthol stimulation. 779 66

The addition of the coolant menthol to several oral and facial products is to increase their attractiveness and commercial value. Little is, however, known about the physiological basis of menthol's sensory effects. We studied the electrophysiological responses of 45 thermal-sensitive lingual fibers to anterior tongue stimulation (10 s) with menthol in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Menthol responses were unlike the responses to cold water. Cold water (6 degrees C, 15 degrees C) elicited an immediate sustained increase in impulse frequencies of thermal-sensitive fibers adapted to room temperature water (22-24 degrees C). Inhibitory off-responses followed cold water stimulation. Depending on the concentration and time of measurement, menthol stimulation either excited, inhibited, or had no effect on impulse frequencies of thermal-sensitive fibers. Strong menthol (0.64 mM, 1.28 mM) unequivocally excited thermal-sensitive fibers with a response latency of 4-6 s. In most cases after menthol stimulation, the impulse frequencies returned to baseline; there were no off-responses. Weak menthol (0.0128 mM, 0.064 mM, 0.128 mM) inhibited impulse frequencies of 14 thermal-sensitive fibers and excited impulse frequencies of 6 fibers primarily during the first 2 s of stimulation. Menthol responses were also unlike responses to stimulation with taste solutions. Most taste solutions (30 and 100 mM NaCl, 0.3 and 1 mM quinine-HCl, 0.3 mM citric acid) significantly inhibited impulse frequencies but only during the first 2-5 s of stimulation. The effect of NaCl was biphasic with the initial inhibitory phase followed by an excitatory phase during the second 5 s of stimulation. An excitatory off-response followed quinine stimulation. While considered principally a coolant, menthol elicits a unique pattern of responses from trigeminal and taste nerve endings quite unlike those of conventional thermal and taste stimuli.
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PMID:Neural responses of thermal-sensitive lingual fibers to brief menthol stimulation. 801 23

The effect of menthol on the human bladder cooling reflex was studied prospectively in a group of patients with a positive ice water test. Menthol has a selective potentiating action on cutaneous cold receptors and shifts the temperature response curve of the bladder cooling reflex towards higher temperatures in animal experiments. The substance had an almost identical effect on the human bladder, that is it caused a shift of the threshold temperature of the bladder cooling reflex towards a higher value in all tested patients. Thus, it can be concluded that the human bladder cooling reflex originates from cold receptors within the bladder wall.
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PMID:Evidence of cold receptors in the human bladder: effect of menthol on the bladder cooling reflex. 832 69

The effect of menthol and alcohol as its vehicle on thermal sensations, pain, experimental itch and irritation were studied in 18 subjects, using a computerized thermal sensory analyzer, laser Doppler flowmetry and an evaporimeter for transepidermal water loss (TEWL). Menthol had a subjective cooling effect lasting up to 70 min in 12/18 subjects; however, it did not affect cold and heat threshold, nor did it affect cold and heat pain threshold. Alcohol produced an immediate cold sensation lasting up to 5 min in 4/18 subjects and lowered the sensitivity of cold sensation threshold (P < 0.05). Histamine injection did not change thermal and pain thresholds. Menthol did not alleviate histamine-induced itch magnitude, nor its duration. Following histamine injection, cold sensation median threshold decreased by 1.2 degrees C from (29.9 degrees C to 28.7 degrees C) on the site treated with menthol (P < 0.01) with similar changes in thresholds at the alcohol-treated site (P < 0.05). Warm sensation and pain threshold in subjects receiving histamine injections, measured after menthol and alcohol application, did not differ from their baseline values with histamine alone. TEWL at the site treated with menthol was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than at the alcohol-treated and the control site (P < 0.01), suggesting that menthol has a higher skin irritating effect, or at least alters the stratum corneum water permeability. Our results suggest that menthol fulfills the definition of a counterirritant, but does not affect histamine-induced itch, nor does it affect pain sensation.
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PMID:Effect of topically applied menthol on thermal, pain and itch sensations and biophysical properties of the skin. 873 67

Menthol is widely used in candy, chewing gum, toothpastes, cigarettes and common cold medications. Menthol has been shown to stimulate cold receptors in the mouth and nose. The present paper puts forward the hypothesis that menthol, by its effects on oral and nasal cold receptors, may influence thirst, the drive to breathe, and arousal. The satisfying effects of menthol on thirst and breathing, together with an effect on arousal, may explain the popularity of menthol and account for the very large amount of menthol-containing products that are consumed each day.
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PMID:Role of cold receptors and menthol in thirst, the drive to breathe and arousal. 1074 89


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