TRPM8 in Acute Ischemic Stroke by Topical Menthol

Sixty patients with acute ischemic stroke were randomly divided into two groups: thirty in the treatment group and thirty in the control group.

Participants in this study will initially undergo a detailed regular neurological examination, an assessment with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Barthel Index (BI) for daily living functions, and the Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) for disability. After completing the basic assessments and signing the informed consent, participants will be randomly allocated to either the treatment group or the control group for the trial.

The treatment group will use an emulsion containing 8% w/w menthol, with an average of 80 grams placed inside hand and foot wraps (20 grams in each hand or foot wrap). Participants will wear the wraps for five minutes before removal. This process will be done once a day for five consecutive days in a week, followed by two days of rest, and will last for four weeks.

The control group, on the other hand, will use an emulsion that does not contain any menthol, with an average of 80 grams placed inside hand and foot wraps. The same procedure will be followed: participants will wear the wraps for five minutes before removal, once a day for five consecutive days in a week, followed by two days of rest, for a total of four weeks.

All participants will be re-evaluated after the fourth and eighth weeks of the trial, with assessments including neurological examination, NIHSS, BI, and mRS.

Emergency, neurology outpatient, and inpatient participants will also use the 8% w/w menthol emulsion, with an average of 80 grams placed inside hand and foot wraps (20 grams each). The same procedure will be followed: wearing the wraps for five minutes before removal, once a day for five consecutive days per week, followed by two days of rest, for a total of four weeks.

Participants will be evaluated within seven days after being diagnosed with a stroke, and then again after the fourth and eighth weeks of treatment. The evaluations will include neurological examination, NIHSS, BI, and mRS assessments.

Inclusion criteria

• Acute ischemic stroke patients, stroke time within one week, those who are legally of age at the time of signing the consent form, NIHSS 4-20, patients who can cooperate with treatment, Self or agent agrees to sign the consent form.

Exclusion criteria

• NIHSS score does not meet, mRS=5, patients who cannot cooperate, moderate to severe brain trauma, pregnant women, uremia, liver cirrhosis, heart failure with pulmonary edema and coagulation dysfunction, epilepsy, alcohol, drug abuse. Participants were ranked by the investigator as unsuitable for the study.