Mode of action of peppermint oil and (-)-menthol with respect to 5-HT3 receptor subtypes: binding studies, cation uptake by receptor channels and contraction of isolated rat ileum.

Peppermint oil (Mentha × piperita L. (Lamiaceae) has been shown to exert potent antiemetic properties, but its mode of action has not yet been elucidated. Among its active constituents (-)-menthol is the most important. Three different in vitro models were used to investigate the effects on 5-HT(3) receptors (serotonin receptor subtype): [(14)C]guanidinium influx into N1E-115 cells which express 5-HT(3) receptors, isotonic contractions of the isolated rat ileum and equilibrium competition binding studies using a radioactively labelled 5-HT(3) receptor antagonist ([(3)H]GR65630) (3-(5-methyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl)-1-(1-methyl-1H-indol-3-yl)-1-propanone). Both peppermint oil and (-)-menthol inhibited [(14)C]guanidinium influx through 5-HT(3) receptor channels as well as contractions of the ileum induced by serotonin. Neither the peppermint oil nor (-)-menthol, however, was able to displace [(3)H]GR65630 from 5-HT(3) binding sites. It may be concluded that peppermint oil and (-)-menthol exert their antiemetic effect at least partly by acting on the 5-HT(3) receptor ion-channel complex, probably by binding to a modulatory site distinct from the serotonin binding site.