Appetite-enhancing effects of nutmeg oil and structure –activity relationship of habituation to phenylpropanoids

In this study, we showed that the inhalation of nutmeg oil, myristicin and methyl eugenol produced appetite-enhancing effects in mice. Methyl eugenol alone has shown appetite-enhancing effects and locomotor-reducing effects at the same dose. In a previous study, benzylacetone produced those two effects at the same dose and also increased the body weight of mice significantly; methyl eugenol, however, did not because the mice experienced olfactory habituation after repeated inhalations of methyl eugenol. A structure –activity study showed that a carbonyl group on the aliphatic chain prevented habituation to aroma compounds, which is important information for identifying suitable phenylpropanoid compounds for long-term treatment of loss of appetite.
Source: Journal of Natural Medicines - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research