Here we demonstrate metaplastic effect of a change in NMDA receptor (NMDAR) number in the anterior piriform cortex (aPC) in rat induced by a 10 min pairing of peppermint odor + stroking, which significantly modifies later learning and memory. Using isolated synaptoneurosomes, we found NR1 receptor downregulation 3 h after training and upregulation at 24 h. Consistent with the NR1 pattern, the N...

The contribution of gluconeogenesis to fasting glucose production was determined by a simple measurement of urinary menthol glucuronide (MG) H enrichment from H2O. Following ingestion of H2O (0.5% body water) during an overnight fast and a pharmacological dose (400 mg) of a commercial peppermint oil preparation the next morning, 364 mol MG was quantitatively recovered from a 2-h urine collectio...

PURPOSE In recent years, a number of natural medicines have been reported to have inductive or inhibitive effects on the activity of drug metabolizing enzymes, upon co-administration with prescribed medicines. However, information regarding natural medicine-drug interactions that influence drug metabolism is limited owing to the lack of efficient screening method for such interactions. Therefor...

Bacterial quorum sensing (QS) is a density dependent communication system that regulates the expression of certain genes including production of virulence factors in many pathogens. Bioactive plant extract/compounds inhibiting QS regulated gene expression may be a potential candidate as antipathogenic drug. In this study anti-QS activity of peppermint (Mentha piperita) oil was first tested usin...

BACKGROUND: The use of antibiotics as feed additive in animal feeds due to the appearance of residues in milk and meat and their effects on human health has restricted. Two of essential oils with high potential for use in ruminant diet are Mentha piperita (peppermint) and Mentha pulegium (pennyroyal) essential oil. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of essential oils...

Diets enriched with fish oil may favorably affect the vascular perturbations underlying synthetic graft thrombosis. Therefore, these studies were designed to test the hypothesis that diets enriched with fish oil would decrease the incidence of thrombosis in newly constructed polytetrafluorethylene grafts. A double-blind, randomized trial was conducted. Twenty-four patients were randomized to re...

A wide range of insect repellent formulations, as well as active ingredients, are currently registered for use in Australia. While topical repellents are most common, there are also commercial products in the form of wristbands impregnated with botanical extracts that purport to repel mosquitoes. In laboratory tests, wristbands impregnated with peppermint oil were tested against the mosquito Ae...

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-...

Objective: Effect of peppermint on exercise performance was previously investigated but equivocal findings exist. This study aimed to investigate the effects of peppermint ingestion on the physiological parameters and exercise performance after 5 min and 1 h. Materials and Methods: Thirty healthy male university students were randomly divided into experimental (n=15) and control (n=15) groups. ...