Abstract
Rinsing with menthol-flavored mouthwash causes a tingly, cooling sensation because the compound triggers a cold-sensitive ion channel in sensory neurons. Now scientists have found a compound that is even more chilling. Isolated from nutmeg, the chemical is the most potent activator of the cooling channel yet found in nature (ACS Med. Chem. Lett. 2017, DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.7b00104). l-Menthol, which comes from mint, is the king of naturally derived cooling compounds and is added to products such as cough drops and cosmetics. But menthol has some shortcomings: At low concentrations, its effect can be weak and short-lived, and bumping up its concentrations too high can cause irritation. To find other cooling agents from natural sources, Tomohiro Shirai and colleagues at Kao Corp. screened extracts of various botanicals and spices for the ability to activate the cold-sensitive ion channel, called transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8). After many years of searching, the researchers
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