Anti-Inflammatory and Analgesic Properties of Pulegone, a Major Component in Calamintha Nepeta

Anti-Inflammatory and Analgesic Properties of Pulegone, a Major Component in Calamintha Nepeta | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Anti-Inflammatory and Analgesic Properties of Pulegone, a Major Component in Calamintha Nepeta Alexandre Charlet, Hugues Petitjean, Louis Hilfiger, Zélie Triaux, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-538863/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Monoterpenes are small molecules, composed of two isoprene units, able to pass through the blood brain barrier, allowing to target both peripheral and central pain pathways. They are the main components of essential oils, responsible for their diverse well-known biological activities. Menthol, the main monoterpene found in Mentha piperita (L.) is known to modulate nociceptive threshold and is present in different curative preparations that reduces sensory hypersensitivities in pain conditions. While pulegone is a menthol-like monoterpene, only a limited number of studies focuses on its putative analgesic effects. Pulegone is the most abundant monoterpene presents in Calamintha nepeta (L.), a Laminaceae plant used in traditional medicine to alleviate rheumatic disorders, a chronic inflammatory disease. Here, we compared the impacts of menthol and pulegone on pain and inflammation. First, we described that both monoterpenes are anti-inflammatory compounds. Secondly, we found that while menthol is highly cytotoxic at anti-inflammatory concentrations, the cytotoxic effects of pulegone are limited, if not absent. Finally, in a model of peripheral inflammatory-induced pain a pulegone treatment exerts a significantly higher anti-hyperalgesic effect than menthol in response to mechanical stimuli, heat and cold thermal stimulations than a menthol treatment. In conclusion we demonstrated that pulegone is an anti-inflammatory compound and it is acting a potent pain-killer in acute inflammatory pain condition. Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience Scientific Communication Cognitive Neuroscience Pulegone Calamintha Nepeta Anti-Inflammatory and Analgesic Properties Full Text Additional Declarations Competing interest reported. Dr. Hugues Petitjean, Louis Hilfiger and Zélie Triaux are or were salaries of the Benephyt company. All other authors declare no potential conflict of interest. Supplementary Files Hilfigeretal.SupplementaryInfo.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-538863","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":35213582,"identity":"f9b929e0-927a-44d2-8c6b-5b7520c3a8aa","order_by":0,"name":"Alexandre 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They are the main components of essential oils, responsible for their diverse well-known biological activities. Menthol, the main monoterpene found in Mentha piperita (L.) is known to modulate nociceptive threshold and is present in different curative preparations that reduces sensory hypersensitivities in pain conditions. While pulegone is a menthol-like monoterpene, only a limited number of studies focuses on its putative analgesic effects. Pulegone is the most abundant monoterpene presents in Calamintha nepeta (L.), a Laminaceae plant used in traditional medicine to alleviate rheumatic disorders, a chronic inflammatory disease. Here, we compared the impacts of menthol and pulegone on pain and inflammation. First, we described that both monoterpenes are anti-inflammatory compounds. Secondly, we found that while menthol is highly cytotoxic at anti-inflammatory concentrations, the cytotoxic effects of pulegone are limited, if not absent. Finally, in a model of peripheral inflammatory-induced pain a pulegone treatment exerts a significantly higher anti-hyperalgesic effect than menthol in response to mechanical stimuli, heat and cold thermal stimulations than a menthol treatment. 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