More than cool: promiscuous relationships of menthol and other sensory compounds.
Article Details
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Macpherson LJ, Hwang SW, Miyamoto T, Dubin AE, Patapoutian A, Story GM
More than cool: promiscuous relationships of menthol and other sensory compounds.
Mol Cell Neurosci. 2006 Aug;32(4):335-43. Epub 2006 Jul 7.
- PubMed ID
- 16829128 [ View in PubMed]
- Abstract
Several temperature-activated transient receptor potential (thermoTRP) ion channels are the molecular receptors of natural compounds that evoke thermal and pain sensations. Menthol, popularly known for its cooling effect, activates TRPM8--a cold-activated thermoTRP ion channel. However, human physiological studies demonstrate a paradoxical role of menthol in modulation of warm sensation, and here, we show that menthol also activates heat-activated TRPV3. We further show that menthol inhibits TRPA1, potentially explaining the use of menthol as an analgesic. Similar to menthol, both camphor and cinnamaldehyde (initially reported to be specific activators of TRPV3 and TRPA1, respectively) also modulate other thermoTRPs. Therefore, we find that many "sensory compounds" presumed to be specific have a promiscuous relationship with thermoTRPs.
DrugBank Data that Cites this Article
- Drug Targets
Drug Target Kind Organism Pharmacological Action Actions Levomenthol Transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily A member 1 Protein Humans YesInducerDetails Levomenthol Transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 3 Protein Humans YesInducerDetails