The First Conference on Menthol Cigarettes was convened in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 21–22, 2002. The purpose of the conference was to evaluate the present state of the science concerning the potential increased harm caused by adding menthol to cigarettes, and to set the priorities for further studies of menthol cigarettes. More than 80 researchers and tobacco control experts participated in t...

TRPA1 is a calcium-permeable nonselective cation transient receptor potential (TRP) channel that functions as an excitatory ionotropic receptor in nociceptive neurons. TRPA1 is robustly activated by pungent substances in mustard oil, cinnamon, and garlic and mediates the inflammatory actions of environmental irritants and proalgesic agents. Here, we demonstrate a bimodal sensitivity of TRPA1 to...

Menthol is one of the most widely consumed essential oils. In vitro and in vivo studies indicate that menthol induces or inhibits drug metabolizing activities of liver or gut; thus it could decrease or increase serum drug concentrations. In vitro studies demonstrate that menthol has a relaxant effect on the gastrointestinal tract, thus it could influence the rate of drug absorption. Also in vit...

INTRODUCTION The Food and Drug Administration is in the process of reviewing evidence of the impact of mentholated cigarettes on smoking behaviors and smoking cessation in order to determine if these products should be removed from the market. More empirical research is needed to inform those decisions. The goal of this study was to examine associations of menthol cigarette use with biochemical...

OBJECTIVE Menthol is an important additive in most tobacco products and is an identifying characteristic of many brands. We assessed tobacco companies' research on direct disease-inducing effects of menthol and menthol cigarettes. METHODS A search was conducted among documents included in the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library. Relevant documents addressed subject areas such as pharmacology, sh...

1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) [1alpha,25(OH)(2)D(3)], the most active form of vitamin D(3), and its analogues have therapeutic benefits for prostate cancer treatment. However, the development of hypercalcemia is an obstacle to clinical applications of 1alpha,25(OH)(2)D(3) for cancer therapy. In this study, we provide evidence that menthol, a key component of peppermint oil, increases an anti-...

BACKGROUND Approximately one-fourth of all cigarettes sold in the United States have the descriptor "menthol" on the cigarette pack. It is important to determine what socio-demographic factors are associated with smoking menthol cigarettes if indeed these types of cigarettes are related to smoking initiation, higher exposure to smoke constituents, nicotine dependence, or reduced smoking cessati...

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 imp...

The cold- and menthol-sensing TRPM8 receptor has been proposed to have both nonnociceptive and nociceptive functions. However, one puzzle is how this single type of receptor may be used by somatosensory neurons to code for two distinct sensory modalities. Using acutely dissociated rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons without culture, we show that TRPM8 receptors are expressed on two distinct ...

BACKGROUND The use of menthol in cigarettes and marketing is under consideration for regulation by the FDA. However, the effects of menthol on smoking behavior and carcinogen exposure have been inconclusive. We previously reported metabolomic profiling for cigarette smokers, and novelly identified a menthol-glucuronide (MG) as the most significant metabolite directly related to smoking. Here, M...