EXPLORING ANTIDEPRESSANT POTENTIAL OF PEPPERMINT OIL INHALATION IN STRESS-INDUCED RATS USING HEART ACTIVITY MONITORING

Abstract

Various studies have been conducted to discover non-pharmacological alternative therapies for mental health disorders such as depression caused by prolonged stress. One function of Peppermint essential oil (PEO) as aromatherapy is to improve mental function and reduce stress. This research objective is to clarify the effectiveness of PEO to balance of brain-body connection.  We used rats as animal experiment and using PEO inhalation to explore its potential as an alternative antidepressant therapy, measured by electrocardiogram monitoring using a Wireless Mice Electrocardiogram (WIM ECG) to analyze its impact on the cardiac electrophysiological parameters. Twenty-five male Wistar rats (180-200 g) were divided into five treatment groups: (1) aquadest; (2) 16 µl/h; (3) 40 µl; (4) 80 µl/h; and (5) fluoxetine 14 mg/kg (positive control). All treatment groups were induced with acute restraint stress for 90 minutes along with inhalation process and electrocardiogram monitoring was conducted during the treatment. The result showed, administration of PEO significantly influenced certain cardiac electrophysiological parameters similar to fluoxetine compared to vehicle treatment. Inhalation of 80 µl/h PEO had consistent results that significantly affected the RR interval and heart rate since minutes 30, similar to the result observed with fluoxetine compared to the vehicle (p<0.05). Based on these findings, 80 µl/h PEO indicated an antidepressant effect based on the increased duration of the RR interval and the reduction in the number of heart rate (bpm) after PEO inhalation.