The sensory effects of l-menthol on human skin

Abstract

Psychophysical measurements were made of the sensory effects of l-menthol applied topically to the forearm under controlled thermal conditions. In the first experiment, subjects judged the intensity and quality of sensations produced by warming or cooling the skin in the presence of menthol or the vehicle. During cooling, menthol intensified cutaneous sensations and increased reports of burning. During warming, menthol intensified sensations transiently at low temperatures and weakened them lastingly at higher temperatures; the frequency of reports of burning varied with intensity. A second experiment tested the hypothesis that menthol would lower the threshold for warmth and raise the threshold for heat pain. No change in either threshold was observed. The primary sensory effects of l-menthol on hairy skin are therefore to heighten the perception of cooling and to attenuate the perception of moderate warming. In contrast with other common chemical irritants, menthol's pungent qualities appear to be enhanced by cooling and suppressed by warming; this suggests that its sensory irritancy may be attributable to the stimulation of a population of high-threshold cold fibers or cold-sensitive nociceptors.