NCT05785026

Menthol for Dyspnea Relief in Health and COPD

Effectiveness and Mechanisms of Menthol Inhalation for the Relief of Dyspnea in Health and COPD

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 120 (estimated)
• Sponsor: KU Leuven · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Menthol inhalation (MI) is a novel and promising treatment option for acute relief of dyspnea, however, the underlying ventilatory and/or neural related mechanisms for this relief in symptoms remain unknown. The overall aim of this research project is to systematically examine the mechanisms of dyspnea relief from MI in healthy individuals and those with COPD.

Detailed description

The project is structured in 5 work packages (WP), each including a different sample of healthy volunteers (WP1, 2) or patients with COPD (WP3, 4, 5), respectively with a 1:1 female/male ratio in each WP. Each WP will be single-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trial to investigate the effects of MI compared to placebo in healthy volunteers during resistive loaded breathing (WP1), in healthy volunteers during cycling exercise (WP2), in people with COPD who have dyspnea at rest (WP3), and in people with COPD during cycling exercise (WP4, 5).

Conditions

• Dyspnea
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Menthol inhalation	300 milligrams of L-menthol will be deposited on to a cellulose swab and secured inside the lower portion of a sealed facemask.
OTHER	Strawberry scent	600 microliters of 100% natural strawberry flavoring will be deposited onto on to a cellulose swab and secured inside the lower portion of a sealed facemask.
OTHER	Menthol inhalation and facial airflow	Menthol will be administered using a noseplug and facial airflow will be applied with a tabletop fan.
OTHER	Strawberry scent and airflow to leg	Strawberry will be administered using a noseplug and airflow to the leg will be applied with a tabletop fan.
OTHER	Menthol inhalation and airflow to leg	Menthol will be administered using a noseplug and airflow to the leg will be applied with a tabletop fan.
OTHER	Strawberry inhalation and facial airflow	Strawberry will be administered using a noseplug and facial airflow will be applied with a tabletop fan.

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-01-01
• Primary completion: 2028-10-31
• Completion: 2028-10-31
• First posted: 2023-03-27
• Last updated: 2025-11-19

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Belgium