Article

Olfactory stimulation with scent of lavender oil affects autonomic neurotransmission and blood pressure in rats.

Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-2 Yamada-Oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
Neuroscience Letters (impact factor: 2.11). 06/2006; 398(1-2):155-60. DOI:10.1016/j.neulet.2005.12.076 pp.155-60
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT Previously, we observed that olfactory stimulation with scent of lavender oil (SLVO) suppressed sympathetic nerve activities and elevated gastric vagal (parasympathetic) nerve activity (GVNA), decreased plasma glycerol concentration and body temperature, and enhanced appetite in rats. Here, we further showed that olfactory stimulation with SLVO lowered renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) and blood pressure (BP) and elevated GVNA in urethane-anesthetized rats. Olfactory stimulation with linalool, a component of lavender oil, also elicited decreases in RSNA and BP and an increase in GVNA in urethane-anesthetized rats. Anosmia induced by pretreatment of the nasal cavity by application of ZnSO4 eliminated the effects of both SLVO and scent of linalool on RSNA, GVNA and BP. Furthermore, intracerebroventricular administration of thioperamide, a histaminergic H3-antagonist, abolished the suppression of RSNA and BP as well as the elevation of GVNA mediated by both SLVO and scent of linalool. Finally, bilateral lesions of the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) eliminated RSNA and BP suppression and the elevation of GVNA due to SLVO or linalool. Thus, it was concluded that scent of lavender oil and its active component, linalool, affects autonomic neurotransmission and reduces blood pressure through the central histaminergic nervous system and the SCN.

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Keywords

active component
 
autonomic neurotransmission
 
bilateral lesions
 
blood pressure
 
body temperature
 
BP suppression
 
central histaminergic nervous system
 
elicited decreases
 
gastric vagal
 
histaminergic H3-antagonist
 
hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus
 
intracerebroventricular administration
 
lavender oil
 
Olfactory stimulation
 
parasympathetic
 
plasma glycerol concentration
 
pretreatment
 
renal sympathetic nerve activity
 
RSNA
 
urethane-anesthetized rats