Voltage-dependent block of neuronal and skeletal muscle sodium channels by thymol and menthol

Evaluation of the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of the essential oil of Lippia gracilis leaves

“…Thymol, the major component of the EO of Lippia gracilis, has been credited with a series of pharmacological properties that include antimicrobial, antioxidant, antinociceptive, and antiinflammatory effects (Haeseler et al, 2002;Braga et al, 2006). Marsik et al (2005) have demonstrated that thymol can participate in the general anti-inflammatory activity of Nigella sativa with inhibitory effect on COX-1 and suggest that this agent should be further studied for possible use as non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs.…”

“…Marsik et al (2005) have demonstrated that thymol can participate in the general anti-inflammatory activity of Nigella sativa with inhibitory effect on COX-1 and suggest that this agent should be further studied for possible use as non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs. Haeseler et al (2002) demonstrated that antinociceptive effect of thymol might be mediated via blockade of voltage-operated sodium channels. In human macrophage-like U937 cells, carvacrol suppressed lipopolysaccharide-induced COX-2 mRNA and protein expression, suggesting that carvacrol regulates COX-2 expression through its agonistic effect on PPARgamma (Hotta et al, 2010).…”

Menthol: A refreshing look at this ancient compound

“…Interestingly, both of the enantiomers of menthol were equiactive in terms of local anesthetic activity. In a more recent study, Haeseler et al 47 concluded that menthol blocks voltage-gated neuronal and skeletal muscle sodium channels in a concentration-dependent manner in resting and inactivated states. Furthermore, the authors suggested that this effect provided a molecular basis for the antinociceptive and local anesthetic properties of this compound.…”

Antinociceptive effect of extracts and compounds from Hofmeisteria schaffneri

“…voltage-operated Na + (Haeseler et al, 2002) and K + (Elliot and Elliot, 1997) channels and directly activates ␥-aminobutyric acid GABA A receptors (Mohammadi et al, 2001). It was also suggested that the demonstrated effects accounted for its pain-reliever properties and contributed to its sedative-hypnotic actions (Haeseler et al, 2002).…”