Discovery of Taste Receptors in the Lungs Could Help People With Asthma Breathe Easier

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore have discovered that bitter taste receptors are not just located in the mouth but also in human lungs. What they learned about the role of the receptors could revolutionize the treatment of asthma and other obstructive lung diseases.

The taste receptors in the lungs are the same as those on the tongue. The tongue's receptors are clustered in taste buds, which send signals to the brain. The researchers say that in the lung, the taste receptors are not clustered in buds and do not send signals to the brain, yet they respond to substances that have a bitter taste.

For the current study, Dr. Liggett's team exposed bitter-tasting compounds to human and mouse airways, individual airway smooth muscle cells, and to mice with asthma. The findings are published online in Nature Medicine.

Původní studie:

Deepak A Deshpande, Wayne C H Wang, Elizabeth L McIlmoyle, Kathryn S Robinett, Rachel M Schillinger, Steven S An, James S K Sham, Stephen B Liggett. Bitter taste receptors on airway smooth muscle bronchodilate by localized calcium signaling and reverse obstruction. Nature Medicine, 2010; DOI: 10.1038/nm.2237

Source:

http://www.umm.edu/liggett_taste/faq.htm