Peppermint oil stimulates bile fluid secretion and thus has a choleretic effect. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Preliminary experimental research on the mechanism of liver bile secretion stimulated by peppermint oil.
J Dig Dis. 2011 Aug ;12(4):295-301. PMID: 21791024
Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai First People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the choleretic effect and molecular mechanisms of action of peppermint oil (PO), the main component of Danshu capsules (Sichuan Jishengtang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Pengzhou, Sichuan Province, China).
METHODS: Bile secretion was measured by biliary drainage in rats. Total bile acids, total cholesterol and bilirubin in bile were determined. Cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1), and farnesoid X receptor (FXR) messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) levels were assessed in HepG2 cells (a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line) by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
RESULTS: PO significantly promoted bile and bile acid secretion in rats. It also increased bile acid efflux and decreased cholesterol levels (P<0.01) in bile. In HepG2 cells the mRNA levels of CYP7A1 and FXR were significantly upregulated after treatment with PO.
CONCLUSIONS: PO stimulates bile fluid secretion and thus has a choleretic effect. PO might play a role in upregulating CYP7A1 and FXR mRNA levels, suggesting that the molecular mechanisms are related to gene expression involved in bile acid synthesis.