-
Translational Behavioral Medicine Aug 2023Banning flavors in e-cigarettes and other tobacco products may decrease their use. To examine how current users of flavored e-cigarettes might react to a ban on flavored...
Banning flavors in e-cigarettes and other tobacco products may decrease their use. To examine how current users of flavored e-cigarettes might react to a ban on flavored e-cigarettes when: (i) menthol flavor is banned together with other flavors, or (ii) this ban on e-cigarettes is combined with a ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. A national cross-sectional survey of 2,347 current users of flavored e-cigarettes was conducted in May 2022. For each hypothetical ban scenario, respondents reported if they would quit all tobacco product use, continue to use e-cigarettes with no flavor or flavors that were not banned, or switch to alternative tobacco products. Multinomial logistic regressions were used to estimate the associations between responses and ban scenarios, adjusting for tobacco use and demographic variables. If e-cigarettes with any flavors except menthol and tobacco were banned, the majority of current e-cigarette users would keep using e-cigarettes with no flavor or tobacco and menthol flavor. When menthol flavor was added to a ban, a greater proportion of respondents would quit all tobacco use; however, more would also switch to cigarettes or cigars. When menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars were added to a ban, those who used menthol flavor only would be less likely to switch to cigarettes and cigars. Among current e-cigarette users, the harm reduction (i.e., from quitting all use) from a ban on flavored e-cigarettes, particularly if menthol is also banned, may be outweighed by the harm increases (i.e., switching to cigarettes or cigars, or other products that are more harmful than using e-cigarettes). A concurrent ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars would secure more certain net reductions to public health harms from e-cigarette use and smoking.
Topics: Humans; Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems; Menthol; Cross-Sectional Studies; Flavoring Agents; Tobacco Products; Nicotiana
PubMed: 36694931
DOI: 10.1093/tbm/ibac109 -
Nicotine & Tobacco Research : Official... Apr 2020Despite the overall decline in the prevalence of cigarette use in the United States, menthol cigarette use among smokers is rising, and evidence shows that it may lead... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Despite the overall decline in the prevalence of cigarette use in the United States, menthol cigarette use among smokers is rising, and evidence shows that it may lead to more detrimental effects on public health than regular cigarette use. One of the mechanisms by which nicotine sustains tobacco use and dependence is due to its cognitive enhancing properties, and basic science literature suggests that menthol may also enhance nicotine's acute effect on cognition.
AIMS AND METHODS
The purpose of this review is to suggest that the cognitive enhancing effects of menthol may be a potentially important neuropsychological mechanism that has yet to be examined. In this narrative review, we provide an overview of basic science studies examining neurobiological and cognitive effects of menthol and menthol cigarette smoking. We also review studies examining menthol essential oils among humans that indicate menthol alone has acute cognitive enhancing properties. Finally, we present factors influencing the rising prevalence of menthol cigarette use among smokers and the importance of this gap in the literature to improve public health and smoking cessation treatment.
CONCLUSIONS
Despite the compelling evidence for menthol's acute cognitive enhancing and reinforcing effects, this mechanism for sustaining tobacco dependence and cigarette use has yet to be examined and validated among humans. On the basis of the basic science evidence for menthol's neurobiological effects on nicotinic receptors and neurotransmitters, perhaps clarifying menthol's effect on cognitive performance can help to elucidate the complicated literature examining menthol and tobacco dependence.
IMPLICATIONS
Menthol cigarette use has continued to be a topic of debate among researchers and policy makers, because of its implications for understanding menthol's contribution to nicotine dependence and smoking persistence, as well as its continued use as a prevalent flavoring in tobacco and nicotine products in the United States and internationally. As international tobacco regulation policies have begun to target menthol cigarettes, research studies need to examine how flavoring additives, specifically menthol, may acutely influence neurobiological and cognitive functioning as a potential mechanism of sustained smoking behavior to develop more effective treatments.
Topics: Antipruritics; Cognition; Humans; Menthol; Public Health; Reinforcement, Psychology; Smoking; Tobacco Use Cessation; Tobacco Use Disorder
PubMed: 30551213
DOI: 10.1093/ntr/nty264 -
Substance Abuse 2023Menthol cigarette use is associated with higher smoking initiation and reduced smoking cessation. We investigated sociodemographic differences in menthol and nonmenthol...
BACKGROUND
Menthol cigarette use is associated with higher smoking initiation and reduced smoking cessation. We investigated sociodemographic differences in menthol and nonmenthol cigarette use in the United States.
METHODS
We used the most recent available data from the May 2019 wave of the nationally-representative Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey. The survey weights were used to estimate the national prevalence of individuals who currently smoke among individuals who use menthol and nonmenthol cigarettes. Survey-weighted logistic regression methods were used to estimate the association of menthol cigarette use with formerly smoking cigarettes and attempting to quit within the past 12 months while adjusting for several sociodemographic factors associated with smoking.
RESULTS
The prevalence of current smoking in individuals who ever smoked menthol cigarettes was higher 45.6% (44.5%-46.6%) compared to 35.8% (35.2%-36.4%) in individuals who ever smoked nonmenthol cigarettes. Non-Hispanics Blacks who used menthol cigarettes had a higher likelihood of being an individual who currently smokes (OR 1.8, 95% CI: [1.6-2.0], -value <.001) compared to Non-Hispanic Whites who used nonmenthol cigarettes. However, Non-Hispanics Blacks who used menthol cigarettes were more likely to make a quit attempt (OR 1.4, 95%CI: [1.3-1.6], -value <.001) compared to non-Hispanic Whites who used nonmenthol cigarettes.
CONCLUSIONS
Individuals who currently use menthol cigarettes are more likely to make attempts to quit smoking. However, this did not translate to successfully quitting smoking, as evidenced by the proportion of individuals who formerly smoked within the population which used menthol cigarettes.
Topics: United States; Humans; Menthol; Smoking; Tobacco Use; Tobacco Products; White
PubMed: 37226902
DOI: 10.1177/08897077231174683 -
Neuropharmacology Nov 2020Menthol has been shown to contribute to the appeal of tobacco products in humans. However, factors such as sex, age and menthol concentration remain unclear in the...
Menthol has been shown to contribute to the appeal of tobacco products in humans. However, factors such as sex, age and menthol concentration remain unclear in the interaction between menthol and nicotine. To understand these factors, we utilized a mouse model to determine the impact of menthol on oral nicotine consumption. A range of menthol concentrations (oral and systemic) were tested with or without oral nicotine using the two-bottle choice paradigm in adolescent and adult female and male C57BL/6J mice. Moreover, genetically modified mice were used to investigate the role of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) on the effects of menthol. Menthol addition to nicotine solution increased oral nicotine consumption in C57BL/6J mice in a sex- and menthol concentration-dependent manner. At lower menthol concentrations, female mice demonstrated an enhancement of nicotine consumption and male mice showed a similar behavior at higher menthol concentrations. Menthol drinking alone was only significantly different by sex at 60 μg/ml menthol concentration where female mice had higher menthol intake than males. Menthol administered both orally and systemically (intraperitoneal) increased oral nicotine consumption. Adolescent female mice had a higher nicotine intake at lower menthol concentrations compared to their adult counterparts. While α7 nAChR wild type mice consumed more mentholated nicotine solution than nicotine only solution, this effect was abolished in KO mice. Effects of menthol are concentration-, sex-, age-, and α7 nAChR-dependent. Oral and intraperitoneal menthol increases nicotine intake, suggesting that sensory, peripheral, and/or central mechanisms are involved in effects of menthol on oral nicotine consumption.
Topics: Administration, Oral; Age Factors; Animals; Antipruritics; Choice Behavior; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Synergism; Female; Injections, Intraperitoneal; Male; Menthol; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Nicotine; Nicotinic Agonists; Sex Characteristics; alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor
PubMed: 32827516
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108274 -
Journal of Leukocyte Biology Sep 2022Understanding the innate immune system and how aberrant activation or impaired inhibition leads to the development of hyperinflammatory conditions, including...
Understanding the innate immune system and how aberrant activation or impaired inhibition leads to the development of hyperinflammatory conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease, is crucial for patient management and treatment. An emerging area of interest surrounding dysregulated inflammation focuses on membrane bound transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels. These channels are permeable to calcium and other cations involved in the balance of leukocyte membrane potential and function, as well as afferent neuron signaling within the myenteric plexus of the GI tract, bladder, and skin. A particular channel, TRPM8, is an important cell surface marker for prostate cancer and participates in the function of cold sensing neurons. Specifically, this ion-gated receptor is shown to be activated by agonists such as menthol and eucalyptus, which aid in the soothing, cooling effects of these agents. Furthermore, the TRPM8 channel is also identified on the surface of resident tissue Mϕs and is also linked to the protective role and release of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) by sensory neurons.
Topics: Calcium Signaling; Cold Temperature; Humans; Menthol; Monocytes; TRPM Cation Channels
PubMed: 35570407
DOI: 10.1002/JLB.3CE0222-099R -
Nature Communications Jul 2020Menthol in mints elicits coolness sensation by selectively activating TRPM8 channel. Although structures of TRPM8 were determined in the apo and liganded states, the...
Menthol in mints elicits coolness sensation by selectively activating TRPM8 channel. Although structures of TRPM8 were determined in the apo and liganded states, the menthol-bounded state is unresolved. To understand how menthol activates the channel, we docked menthol to the channel and systematically validated our menthol binding models with thermodynamic mutant cycle analysis. We observed that menthol uses its hydroxyl group as a hand to specifically grab with R842, and its isopropyl group as legs to stand on I846 and L843. By imaging with fluorescent unnatural amino acid, we found that menthol binding induces wide-spread conformational rearrangements within the transmembrane domains. By Φ analysis based on single-channel recordings, we observed a temporal sequence of conformational changes in the S6 bundle crossing and the selectivity filter leading to channel activation. Therefore, our study suggested a 'grab and stand' mechanism of menthol binding and how menthol activates TRPM8 at the atomic level.
Topics: Binding Sites; HEK293 Cells; Humans; Ion Channel Gating; Menthol; Molecular Docking Simulation; Molecular Dynamics Simulation; Mutagenesis; Patch-Clamp Techniques; Point Mutation; Protein Binding; Recombinant Proteins; Structure-Activity Relationship; TRPM Cation Channels
PubMed: 32728032
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17582-x -
Tobacco Control Apr 2023In January 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration prohibited the sale of flavours (except for menthol and tobacco) in prefilled pod devices such as JUUL to decrease...
BACKGROUND
In January 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration prohibited the sale of flavours (except for menthol and tobacco) in prefilled pod devices such as JUUL to decrease youth vaping. Excluded from the prohibition were disposable devices.
OBJECTIVES
To determine the scope and scale of flavours marketed by Puff Bar, a leading disposable brand, and related products.
METHODS
Disposable e-cigarette flavours were identified via online searches encompassing vendor websites, wholesale distributors, manufacturers (eg, made-in-china.com), and social media channel, Instagram, between June and August 2020.
RESULTS
The 'Puff' brand name and iconic cloud logo appear on a variety of products of differing sizes and nicotine e-liquid volumes. Among Puff Bar and its copycats (Puff-a-Likes), 139 flavours were identified. Fruit flavours predominated comprising 82.2% of the flavour varieties (fruit 50%, fruit and menthol/mint 23.6%, and fruity drinks 8.6%). A prevalent new flavour category which combines fruit with menthol/mint (Ice) was offered in 33 varieties such as Lychee Ice, Lush Ice and Banana Ice. Disposable e-cigarette brands are undertaking measures to escape tobacco regulation (eg, non-tobacco-sourced nicotine) and flavour limitations via post-market flavour additions to unflavoured nicotine e-liquid.
CONCLUSIONS
The proliferation of flavoured disposable e-cigarette products, many of which are designed to emulate popular pod devices, illustrates that narrowly limited flavour regulations covering only a single category are destined to fail. To be effective in youth protection, flavour regulations need to apply to all recreational nicotine-containing products and need to include measures to counter post-market flavour addition.
Topics: Adolescent; Humans; Nicotine; Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems; Ice; Menthol; Tobacco Products; Vaping; Flavoring Agents
PubMed: 35017264
DOI: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2021-056780 -
American Journal of Preventive Medicine Mar 2021Increasing the reach of evidence-based cessation services is a longstanding public health priority, especially for subgroups who may be most at risk. Little research has...
INTRODUCTION
Increasing the reach of evidence-based cessation services is a longstanding public health priority, especially for subgroups who may be most at risk. Little research has examined whether quitlines are reaching menthol cigarette smokers who may have increased difficulty quitting compared with nonmenthol cigarette smokers. This study aims to understand whether quitline services are reaching menthol cigarette smokers.
METHODS
The study sample included adult smokers enrolled in Minnesota's quitline program, QUITPLAN Services, between May 2017 and April 2018 (N=10,999). Cigarette smokers were asked about the usual cigarette type (menthol versus nonmenthol). Reach ratios were calculated by dividing the percentage of program enrollees who are menthol smokers by the percentage of Minnesota smokers who are menthol smokers. Differences in demographic, tobacco use, and utilization characteristics between menthol and nonmenthol smokers were assessed using chi-square and t-tests. Analyses were conducted in March 2019.
RESULTS
Among QUITPLAN Services enrollees, 30.7% of smokers reported using menthol cigarettes. The reach ratio was 1.12 (95% CI=0.99, 1.25). Menthol smokers were more likely to be younger, be female, be Black/African American, be Hispanic, and live in an urban area than nonmenthol smokers. Although menthol smokers were more likely than nonmenthol smokers to enroll in text messaging, no other significant differences in service utilization were found.
CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that menthol smokers are proportionately represented among quitline enrollees. State quitlines should assess menthol smoking status at intake and allocate resources to reach and better serve menthol smokers.
Topics: Adult; Female; Humans; Menthol; Minnesota; Smokers; Smoking Cessation; Tobacco Products
PubMed: 33663699
DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2019.12.027 -
Phytochemistry Nov 2022Plant monoterpenes are challenging compounds, since they often act as solvents, and thus have both phytotoxic and antimicrobial properties. In this study an approach is...
Plant monoterpenes are challenging compounds, since they often act as solvents, and thus have both phytotoxic and antimicrobial properties. In this study an approach is developed to identify and characterize enzymes that can detoxify monoterpenoids, and thus would protect both plants and microbial production systems from these compounds. Plants respond to the presence of monoterpenes by expressing glycosyltransferases (UGTs), which conjugate the monoterpenoids into glycosides. By identifying these enzymes in a transcriptomics approach using Mentha × piperita, a family of UGTs was identified which is active on cyclic monoterpenoids such as menthol, and on acyclic monoterpenoids such as geranic acid. Other members of this family, from tomato, were also shown to be active on these monoterpenoids. In vitro and in vivo activity of different UGTs were tested with different substrates. We found that some glycosyltransferases significantly affect the toxicity of selected monoterpenoids in Escherichia coli, suggesting that glycosyltransferases can protect cells from monoterpenoid toxicity.
Topics: Glycosides; Glycosyltransferases; Mentha piperita; Menthol; Monoterpenes; Solvents
PubMed: 36037906
DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2022.113371 -
Menthol-based deep eutectic systems as antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agents for wound healing.European Journal of Pharmaceutical... Mar 2023Effective antimicrobial treatment has been identified as a serious and unmet medical need. Herein, we present a strategy based on deep eutectic systems (DES) to overcome...
Effective antimicrobial treatment has been identified as a serious and unmet medical need. Herein, we present a strategy based on deep eutectic systems (DES) to overcome current limitations, answering the need not only to effectively kill bacterial agents but also to avoid their adhesion and proliferation, which is associated with biofilm formation and have a crucial impact on bacterial virulence. To achieve such a goal, natural deep eutectic systems (NADES) based on menthol (Me) and saturated free fatty acids (FFA) were produced, fully physicochemical characterized, and its bioactive properties were described. The antimicrobial potential of menthol-based NADES with FFA, namely, myristic acid (MA), lauric acid (LA), and stearic acid (SA) were investigated towards a broad panel of microorganisms. The obtained data indicates that NADES possess effective antimicrobial properties towards the Gram-positive bacterial and fungal strains tested. Among the tested formulations, Me:LA at a molar ratio of 4:1 molar was used to carry out a biofilm detachment/removal assay due to is superior microbiological properties. This formulation was able to effectively lead to biofilm removal/dispersion of not only methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Candida albicans, but also Escherichia coli, without the need of any additional physical force or antibiotic. Furthermore, since microbial invasion and biofilm formation is highly undesired in wound healing, namely in chronic wound healing, the wound healing properties of these eutectic formulations was also investigated. The results suggest that these NADES can cope with microbial invasion and biofilm detachment while not compromising normal keratinocyte proliferation and migration verified in wound healing and epidermis repair, while also contributing to the reduction of cell stress and inflammation via the control of ROS production. In conclusion, these results provide the indication that NADES based on Me and FFA holds great interest as antimicrobial agents for preventive and therapeutic applications in various clinical settings, including wound healing.
Topics: Menthol; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Anti-Infective Agents; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Wound Healing
PubMed: 36572356
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2022.106368