Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41250826›Full record

ArticleBrain and behavior2025

Single Inhalation of Peppermint Essential Oil Alleviates Acute Restraint Stress-Exacerbated Itch in Oxazolone-Induced Mild Dermatitis: Correlations With Brain Neuronal Activity in Female BALB/c Mouse.

Shotaro Shoji, Yusuke Murata, Hikari Ikeda, Reika Sakai, Yuka Chijiiwa, Masayoshi Mori, Munechika Enjoji

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Article in Brain and behavior, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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1citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Shotaro ShojiDepartment of Pharmacotherapeutics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, Japan.
Yusuke MurataDepartment of Pharmacotherapeutics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, Japan.
Hikari IkedaDepartment of Pharmacotherapeutics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, Japan.
Reika SakaiDepartment of Pharmacotherapeutics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, Japan.
Yuka ChijiiwaDepartment of Pharmacotherapeutics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, Japan.
Masayoshi MoriDepartment of Pharmacotherapeutics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, Japan.
Munechika EnjojiDepartment of Pharmacotherapeutics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, Japan.

Funding

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6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionPeppermint essential oil (PEO) and its main component, menthol, are used in Western and Eastern traditional medicine for their anti-spasmodic, anti-septic, or anti-pruritic properties. Although topical application of PEO exhibits anti-pruritic efficacy, the effects of PEO inhalation on itch sensation and pruritic behavior remain unclear. We aimed to determine whether PEO inhalation alleviates pruritus and itch-responsive neural activity in the brains of mice with hapten-induced dermatitis under acute stress conditions.

methodsForty-one female BALB/c mice were randomly assigned to six experimental groups. Twenty-nine mice were subjected to oxazolone (OXA)-induced dermatitis through an initial sensitization followed by three rounds of topical application of OXA every other day. During the final OXA application, twenty-two mice were exposed to restraint stress for 2 h. Sixteen mice were subjected to the inhalation of 2.5% PEO. The total duration of scratching bouts and the number of c-Fos-positive cells in the parabrachial nucleus, central amygdala, periaqueductal gray, and ventral tegmental area were quantified.

resultsPEO inhalation reduced the duration of scratching behavior induced by the combination of repeated OXA application and acute restraint stress. The c-Fos-positive cell number in the tested brain regions, except the ventral tegmental area, was positively correlated with the pruritic response. PEO inhalation alleviates OXA- or stress-induced pruritus by modulating neuronal activity in itch-related brain regions.

conclusionAcute restraint stress exacerbates itch, and PEO inhalation alleviates the stress-associated aggravation of pruritus caused by OXA-induced dermatitis, which is associated with the modulation of neuronal activity in itch-related brain regions.

Indexed as

BrainDermatitisPlant OilsPruritusStress, PsychologicalAdministration, InhalationAnimalsAntipruriticsDisease Models, AnimalFemaleMentha piperitaMiceMice, Inbred BALB CNeuronsOils, VolatileOxazoloneAntipruriticsOils, VolatileOxazolonepeppermint oilPlant Oilsacute stressitch‐related brain regionoxazolone‐induced dermatitispeppermint essential oil

Identifiers

PMID41250826
PMCPMC12623463

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.