Phenol placebo

In humans the treatment of skin lesions is mostly symptomatic. Pruritus is a common problem among SM-exposed veterans. A number of treatments like antihistamines, local anesthetics, and corticosteroids are prescribed in order to control pruritus in Iranian patients. When Unna s Boot (a gauze bandage impregnated with glycerine, zinc oxide, and calamine lotion) and betamethasone were compared for the treatment of pruritis, Unna s Boot showed better results (Shohrati et al, 2007a). SM-induced pruritis in chemical warfare-injured veterans was treated with phenol (1%) and menthol (1%), and this combination significantly reduced the pruritis in comparison to placebo (Panahi et al, 2007). 

Phenolic substances in red wine were shown to inhibit LDL oxidation in vitro [95]. In previous studies, red wine-derived phenolic acids [115,116], resveratrol [117], flavonols (quercetin, myricetin) [68,118,119], catechins [66,120], and the grape extract itself [121,122] have been shown to possess antioxidant properties. The finding that ethanol and wine stripped of phenols did not affect LDL oxidation further confirmed that the active antioxidant components in red wine are phenolic compounds [123]. Red wine fractionation revealed major antioxidative potency to monomeric catechins, procyanidins, monomeric anthocyanidins, and phenolic acids [123]. The flavonol quercetin and the flavonol catechin were both tested for antioxidative and antiatherogenic effects in the atherosclerotic E° mice [111]. E° mice at the age of 4 weeks were supplemented for up to 6 weeks in their drinking water with placebo (1.1% alcohol) or with catechin or quercetin (50 pg/day/mouse). The atherosclerotic lesion area was smaller by 39% or by 46%, respectively, in the treated mice than in E° mice that were treated with placebo (Fig. 4A-E). 

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