Leptin increases temperature-dependent chorda tympani nerve responses to sucrose in mice

Effects of temperature on action potentials and ion conductances in type II taste-bud cells

Temperature strongly influences the intensity of taste, but it remains understudied despite its physiological, hedonic, and commercial implications. The relative roles of the peripheral gustatory and somatosensory systems innervating the oral cavity in mediating thermal effects on taste sensation and perception are poorly understood. Type II taste-bud cells, responsible for sensing sweet, bitter umami, and appetitive NaCl, release neurotransmitters to gustatory neurons by the generation of action potentials, but the effects of temperature on action potentials and the underlying voltage-gated conductances are unknown. Here, we used patch-clamp electrophysiology to explore the effects of temperature on acutely isolated type II taste-bud cell electrical excitability and whole cell conductances. Our data reveal that temperature strongly affects action potential generation, properties, and frequency and suggest that thermal sensitivities of underlying voltage-gated Na+ and K+ channel conductances provide a mechanism for how and whether voltage-gated Na+ and K+ channels in the peripheral gustatory system contribute to the influence of temperature on taste sensitivity and perception.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The temperature of food affects how it tastes. Nevertheless, the mechanisms involved are not well understood, particularly whether the physiology of taste-bud cells in the mouth is involved. Here we show that the electrical activity of type II taste-bud cells that sense sweet, bitter, and umami substances is strongly influenced by temperature. These results suggest a mechanism for the influence of temperature on the intensity of taste perception that resides in taste buds themselves.

Role of Leu72Met of GHRL and Gln223Arg of LEPR Variants on Food Intake, Subjective Appetite, and Hunger-Satiety Hormones

Appetite regulation has been recognized as a promising target for the prevention of obesity, which has become a worldwide health issue. Polymorphisms in the genes of hormones or receptors including Leu72Met for ghrelin and Gln223Arg for the leptin receptor could play a role in dietary intake, hunger, and satiety process. The aim of this study was to analyze subjective appetite assessments, dietary intake, and appetite hormones in relationship to these polymorphisms. Subjects (n = 132) with normal BMIs were enrolled. Dietary intake was analyzed with 3-day diet records. Subjective appetite was measured by visual analogue scales. Biochemical parameters were measured after 12 h of fasting and 120′ following ingestion of a test meal. Ghrelin and leptin levels were measured by ELISA assay (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and insulin by chemiluminescence assay. The polymorphisms were determined by allelic discrimination using TaqMan^® probes. Fasting ghrelin levels differed significantly between men and women. The consumption of fruit and bread/starch with added sugar servings, as indicated by dietary records, and measured ghrelin levels were higher in carriers of Leu72Met/Met72Met compared to Leu72Leu carriers; total sugar intake was higher in Gln223Gln carriers than in Gln223Arg/Arg223Arg carriers. In conclusion, the Leu72Met and Gln223Arg polymorphism in ghrelin and LEPR may contribute to differential responses to a standardized meal as evidenced by higher postprandial levels of ghrelin and may also contribute to a higher dietary sugar intake.

The Influence of Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass and Diet on NaCl and Sucrose Taste Detection Thresholds and Number of Circumvallate and Fungiform Taste Buds in Female Rats

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) in rats attenuates preference for, and intake of, sugar solutions. Additionally, maintenance on a high-fat diet (HFD) reportedly alters behavioral responsiveness to sucrose in rodents in short-term drinking tests. Due to the fact that the behavioral tests to date rely on the hedonic value of the stimulus to drive responsiveness, we sought to determine whether taste detection thresholds to sucrose and NaCl are affected by these manipulations as measured in an operant two-response signal detection paradigm. Female rats were maintained on HFD or chow for 10 weeks, at which point animals received either RYGB or SHAM surgery followed by a gel-based diet and then powdered chow. Upon recovery, half of the rats that were previously on HFD were switched permanently to chow, and the other rats were maintained on their presurgical diets (n = 5–9/diet condition x surgery group for behavioral testing). The rats were then trained and tested in a gustometer. There was a significant interaction between diet condition and surgery on NaCl threshold that was attributable to a lower value in RYGB vs. SHAM rats in the HFD condition, but this failed to survive a Bonferroni correction. Importantly, there were no effects of diet condition or surgery on sucrose thresholds. Additionally, although recent evidence suggests that maintenance on HFD alters taste bud number in the circumvallate papillae (CV) of mice, in a subset of rats, we did not find that diet significantly influenced taste pores in the anterior tongue or CV of female rats. These results suggest that any changes in sucrose responsiveness in intake/preference or hedonically oriented tests in rats as a function of HFD maintenance or RYGB are not attributable to alterations in taste sensitivity.

Phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase mediates the sweet suppressive effect of leptin in mouse taste cells

Leptin is known to selectively suppress neural and taste cell responses to sweet compounds. The sweet suppressive effect of leptin is mediated by the leptin receptor Ob-Rb, and the ATP-gated K⁺ (K_ATP ) channel expressed in some sweet-sensitive, taste receptor family 1 member 3 (T1R3)-positive taste cells. However, the intracellular transduction pathway connecting Ob-Rb to K_ATP channel remains unknown. Here we report that phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) mediates leptin's suppression of sweet responses in T1R3-positive taste cells. In in situ taste cell recording, systemically administrated leptin suppressed taste cell responses to sucrose in T1R3-positive taste cells. Such leptin's suppression of sucrose responses was impaired by co-administration of PI3K inhibitors (wortmannin or LY294002). In contrast, co-administration of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 inhibitor (Stattic) or Src homology region 2 domain-containing phosphatase-2 inhibitor (SHP099) had no effect on leptin's suppression of sucrose responses, although signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 and Src homology region 2 domain-containing phosphatase-2 were expressed in T1R3-positive taste cells. In peeled tongue epithelium, phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate production and phosphorylation of AKT by leptin were immunohistochemically detected in some T1R3-positive taste cells but not in glutamate decarboxylase 67-positive taste cells. Leptin-induced phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate production was suppressed by LY294002. Thus, leptin suppresses sweet responses of T1R3-positive taste cells by activation of Ob-Rb-PI3K-K_ATP channel pathway.

Optogenetic Stimulation of Type I GAD65+ Cells in Taste Buds Activates Gustatory Neurons and Drives Appetitive Licking Behavior in Sodium-Depleted Mice

Mammalian taste buds are comprised of specialized neuroepithelial cells that act as sensors for molecules that provide nutrition (e.g., carbohydrates, amino acids, and salts) and those that are potentially harmful (e.g., certain plant compounds and strong acids). Type II and III taste bud cells (TBCs) detect molecules described by humans as "sweet," "bitter," "umami," and "sour." TBCs that detect metallic ions, described by humans as "salty," are undefined. Historically, type I glial-like TBCs have been thought to play a supportive role in the taste bud, but little research has been done to explore their role in taste transduction. Some evidence implies that type I cells may detect sodium (Na⁺) via an amiloride-sensitive mechanism, suggesting they play a role in Na⁺ taste transduction. We used an optogenetic approach to study type I TBCs by driving the expression of the light-sensitive channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) in type I GAD65⁺ TBCs of male and female mice. Optogenetic stimulation of GAD65⁺ TBCs increased chorda tympani nerve activity and activated gustatory neurons in the rostral nucleus tractus solitarius. "N neurons," whose NaCl responses were blocked by the amiloride analog benzamil, responded robustly to light stimulation of GAD65⁺ TBCs on the anterior tongue. Two-bottle preference tests were conducted under Na⁺-replete and Na⁺-deplete conditions to assess the behavioral impact of optogenetic stimulation of GAD65⁺ TBCs. Under Na⁺-deplete conditions GAD65-ChR2-EYFP mice displayed a robust preference for H₂O illuminated with 470 nm light versus nonilluminated H₂O, suggesting that type I glial-like TBCs are sufficient for driving a behavior that resembles Na⁺ appetite.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT This is the first investigation on the role of type I GAD65⁺ taste bud cells (TBCs) in taste-mediated physiology and behavior via optogenetics. It details the first definitive evidence that selective optogenetic stimulation of glial-like GAD65⁺ TBCs evokes neural activity and modulates behavior. Optogenetic stimulation of GAD65⁺ TBCs on the anterior tongue had the strongest effect on gustatory neurons that responded best to NaCl stimulation through a benzamil-sensitive mechanism. Na⁺-depleted mice showed robust preferences to "light taste" (H₂O illuminated with 470 nm light vs nonilluminated H₂O), suggesting that the activation of GAD65⁺ cells may generate a salt-taste sensation in the brain. Together, our results shed new light on the role of GAD65⁺ TBCs in gustatory transduction and taste-mediated behavior.

Optogenetic Stimulation of Type I GAD65+ Cells in Taste Buds Activates Gustatory Neurons and Drives Appetitive Licking Behavior in Sodium-Depleted Mice

Mammalian taste buds are comprised of specialized neuroepithelial cells that act as sensors for molecules that provide nutrition (e.g., carbohydrates, amino acids, and salts) and those that are potentially harmful (e.g., certain plant compounds and strong acids). Type II and III taste bud cells (TBCs) detect molecules described by humans as "sweet," "bitter," "umami," and "sour." TBCs that detect metallic ions, described by humans as "salty," are undefined. Historically, type I glial-like TBCs have been thought to play a supportive role in the taste bud, but little research has been done to explore their role in taste transduction. Some evidence implies that type I cells may detect sodium (Na⁺) via an amiloride-sensitive mechanism, suggesting they play a role in Na⁺ taste transduction. We used an optogenetic approach to study type I TBCs by driving the expression of the light-sensitive channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) in type I GAD65⁺ TBCs of male and female mice. Optogenetic stimulation of GAD65⁺ TBCs increased chorda tympani nerve activity and activated gustatory neurons in the rostral nucleus tractus solitarius. "N neurons," whose NaCl responses were blocked by the amiloride analog benzamil, responded robustly to light stimulation of GAD65⁺ TBCs on the anterior tongue. Two-bottle preference tests were conducted under Na⁺-replete and Na⁺-deplete conditions to assess the behavioral impact of optogenetic stimulation of GAD65⁺ TBCs. Under Na⁺-deplete conditions GAD65-ChR2-EYFP mice displayed a robust preference for H₂O illuminated with 470 nm light versus nonilluminated H₂O, suggesting that type I glial-like TBCs are sufficient for driving a behavior that resembles Na⁺ appetite.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT This is the first investigation on the role of type I GAD65⁺ taste bud cells (TBCs) in taste-mediated physiology and behavior via optogenetics. It details the first definitive evidence that selective optogenetic stimulation of glial-like GAD65⁺ TBCs evokes neural activity and modulates behavior. Optogenetic stimulation of GAD65⁺ TBCs on the anterior tongue had the strongest effect on gustatory neurons that responded best to NaCl stimulation through a benzamil-sensitive mechanism. Na⁺-depleted mice showed robust preferences to "light taste" (H₂O illuminated with 470 nm light vs nonilluminated H₂O), suggesting that the activation of GAD65⁺ cells may generate a salt-taste sensation in the brain. Together, our results shed new light on the role of GAD65⁺ TBCs in gustatory transduction and taste-mediated behavior.

Chronic exposure to liquid sucrose and dry sucrose diet have differential effects on peripheral taste responses in female rats

Sugar-sweetened beverages are the major source of added calories in the Western diet and their prevalence is associated with obesity and metabolic disruption. Despite the critical role of the taste system in determining food selection and consumption, the effects of chronic sucrose consumption on the peripheral taste system in mammals have received limited attention. We offered female Sprague Dawley rats free access to water and one of three diets for up to 40 days: (1) sucrose-free chow or "NS" diet; (2) a high-sucrose dry diet or "HS"; or (3) 30% sucrose solution and the NS diet, designated "LiqS" diet. Sucrose consumption by LiqS rats gradually increased and by day 14 was equal to that of HS rats. Food intake decreased in LiqS rats, but their energy intake remained higher than for NS or HS rats. There was no significant difference in weight gain of the groups during the study. Recordings from the chorda tympani nerve (CT), which innervates taste buds on the anterior tongue, revealed decreased responses to 1 M sucrose in both LiqS and HS rats and to acesulfame K and salt tastants in LiqS rats after 40 days on diet. Umami, bitter, and acid response magnitudes were unchanged in both groups. These results demonstrate that chronic sucrose exposure inhibits taste responses to higher concentrations of sweet stimuli. More surprisingly, CT responses to NaCl and 0.5M NaAc were significantly reduced in rats on the LiqS diet. Thus, the physical form of the diet influences taste responsiveness to salt and sweet taste function. These data suggest that taste buds are previously unappreciated targets of chronic sucrose consumption.

A role for taste receptors in (neuro)endocrinology?

The sense of taste is positioned at the forefront when it comes to the interaction of our body with foodborne chemicals. However, the role of our taste system, and in particular its associated taste receptors, is not limited to driving food preferences leading to ingestion or rejection before other organs take over responsibility for nutrient digestion, absorption and metabolic regulation. Taste sensory elements do much more. On the one hand, extra-oral taste receptors from the brain to the gut continue to sense nutrients and noxious substances after ingestion and, on the other hand, the nutritional state feeds back on the taste system. This intricate regulatory network is orchestrated by endocrine factors that are secreted in response to taste receptor signalling and, in turn regulate the taste receptor cells themselves. The present review summarises current knowledge on the endocrine regulation of the taste perceptual system and the release of hunger/satiety regulating factors by gastrointestinal taste receptors. Furthermore, the regulation of blood glucose levels via the activation of pancreatic sweet taste receptors and subsequent insulin secretion, as well as the influence of bitter compounds on thyroid hormone release, is addressed. Finally, the central effects of tastants are discussed briefly.

Aging Decreases Chorda-Tympani Nerve Responses to NaCl and Alters Morphology of Fungiform Taste Pores in Rats

Sensory processing is susceptible to decline with age. The sense of taste is, however, generally thought to be resistant to aging. We investigated how chorda-tympani nerve responses and fungiform-taste pores are affected by aging in the Sprague-Dawley rat, a model system for salt taste. First, we measured chorda-tympani nerve responses to NH4Cl and NaCl solutions in young (3-5 months old) and aged (14-15 months old) rats. Aged rats had significantly attenuated chorda-tympani responses to 0.01, 0.03, 0.1, and 0.3 M NaCl, whereas responses to NH4Cl were statistically similar between age groups. Second, we investigated if fungiform papillae, which harbor taste buds innervated by the chorda-tympani nerve, were affected by aging in "young" (4-7 months old) and "aged" ("aged1" 18 months old and "aged2" 24-28 months old) rats. Using scanning electron microscopy, we found that aging significantly reduced morphological characteristics associated with intact fungiform-taste pores (hillock, rim, pore presence, and open pore). We conclude that the structure and function of the peripheral-taste system may not be as resistant to aging as previously reported.

Modulation of taste processing by temperature

Taste stimuli have a temperature that can stimulate thermosensitive neural machinery in the mouth during gustatory experience. Although taste and oral temperature are sometimes discussed as different oral sensory modalities, there is a body of literature that demonstrates temperature is an important component and modulator of the intensity of gustatory neural and perceptual responses. Available data indicate that the influence of temperature on taste, herein referred to as "thermogustation," can vary across taste qualities, can also vary among stimuli presumed to share a common taste quality, and is conditioned on taste stimulus concentration, with neuronal and psychophysical data revealing larger modulatory effects of temperature on gustatory responding to weakened taste solutions compared with concentrated. What is more, thermogustation is evidenced to involve interplay between mouth and stimulus temperature. Given these and other dependencies, identifying principles by which thermal input affects gustatory information flow in the nervous system may be important for ultimately unravelling the organization of neural circuits for taste and defining their involvement with multisensory processing related to flavor. Yet thermal effects are relatively understudied in gustatory neuroscience. Major gaps in our understanding of the mechanisms and consequences of thermogustation include delineating supporting receptors, the potential involvement of oral thermal and somatosensory trigeminal neurons in thermogustatory interactions, and the broader operational roles of temperature in gustatory processing. This review will discuss these and other issues in the context of the literature relevant to understanding thermogustation.

Association between Salivary Leptin Levels and Taste Perception in Children

The satiety inducing hormone leptin acts not only at central nervous system but also at peripheral level. Leptin receptors are found in several sense related organs, including the mouth. A role of leptin in sweet taste response has been suggested but, until now, studies have been based on in vitro experiments, or in assessing the levels of the hormone in circulation. The present study investigated whether the levels of leptin in saliva are related to taste perception in children and whether Body Mass Index (BMI) affects such relationship. Sweet and bitter taste sensitivity was assessed for 121 children aged 9-10 years and unstimulated whole saliva was collected for leptin quantification, using ELISA technique. Children females with lower sweet taste sensitivity presented higher salivary leptin levels, but this is only in the normal weight ones. For bitter taste, association between salivary leptin and caffeine threshold detection was observed only in preobese boys, with higher levels of salivary hormone in low sensitive individuals. This study is the first presenting evidences of a relationship between salivary leptin levels and taste perception, which is sex and BMI dependent. The mode of action of salivary leptin at taste receptor level should be elucidated in future studies.

Temperature Influences Chorda Tympani Nerve Responses to Sweet, Salty, Sour, Umami, and Bitter Stimuli in Mice

Temperature profoundly affects the perceived intensity of taste, yet we know little of the extent of temperature's effect on taste in the peripheral nervous system. Accordingly, we investigated the influence of temperature from 23 °C to 43 °C in 4 °C intervals on the integrated responses of the chorda tympani (CT) nerve to a large series of chemical stimuli representing sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami tastes in C57BL/J6 mice. We also measured neural responses to NaCl, Na-gluconate, Na-acetate, Na-sulfate, and MSG with and without 5 µM benzamil, an epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) antagonist, to assess the influence of temperature on ENaC-dependent and ENaC-independent response components. Our results showed that for most stimuli (0.5M sucrose, glucose, fructose, and maltose; 0.02M saccharin and sucralose; 0.5M NaCl, Na-gluconate, Na-acetate, Na-sulfate, KCl, K-gluconate, K-acetate, and K-sulfate; 0.05M citric acid, acetic acid, and HCl; 0.1M MSG and 0.05M quinine hydrochloride: QHCl), CT response magnitudes were maximal between 35 °C and 39 °C and progressively smaller at cooler or warmer temperatures. In contrast, the weakest responses to NH 4 Cl, (NH 4 ) 2 SO4, and K-sulfate were at the lowest temperature, with response magnitude increasing monotonically with increasing temperature, while the largest responses to acetic acid were at the lowest temperature, with response magnitude decreasing with increasing temperature. The response to sweet and umami stimuli across temperatures were similar reflecting the involvement of TRPM5 activity, in contrast to bitter stimuli, which were weakly affected by temperature. Temperature-modulated responses to salts and acids most likely operate through mechanisms independent of ENaC and TRPM5.

Separate functions for responses to oral temperature in thermo-gustatory and trigeminal neurons

Oral temperature is a component and modifier of taste perception. Both trigeminal (V) and taste-sensitive cells, including those in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), can respond to oral temperature. However, functional associations in thermal sensitivity between V and gustatory neurons are poorly understood. To study this we recorded electrophysiological responses to oral stimulation with cool (9, 15, 25, 32, and 34 °C) and warm (40 and 45 °C) temperatures from medullary V (n = 45) and taste-sensitive NTS (n = 27) neurons in anesthetized mice. Results showed temperatures below 34 °C activated the majority of V neurons but only a minority of NTS units. V neurons displayed larger responses to cooling and responded to temperatures that poorly stimulated NTS cells. Multivariate analyses revealed different temperatures induced larger differences in responses across V compared with NTS neurons, indicating V pathways possess greater capacity to signal temperature. Conversely, responses to temperature in NTS units associated with gustatory tuning. Further analyses identified two types of cooling-sensitive V neurons oriented toward innocuous or noxious cooling. Multivariate analyses indicated the combined response of these cells afforded distinction among a broad range of cool temperatures, suggesting multiple types of V neurons work together to represent oral cooling.

Potential effects of pleasant and cold stimuli on nausea and vomiting induced by disgusting tastes

Several pharmacological agents have disgusting tastes that are perceived strongly in the back of the mouth and may trigger nausea and vomiting (NV), resulting in poor adherence to medication schedules and negative impacts on clinical outcomes. Pleasant stimuli and cold temperature lessen the disgusting stimuli, lowering NV through different mechanisms. A pleasant stimulus can mask an unpleasant one, presumably through lateral inhibitory connections in the local neuronal circuit. Similarly, temperature deeply influences taste perception because the response to bitter as well as to salty and sour has been found to assume a reversed U-shaped form, being reduced by cooling to 18°C and enhanced by warming to 30-37°C. This Review describes the mechanisms by which pleasant and cold stimuli may mask emetogenic disgusting stimuli and identifies the potential clinical applications of cooling for inhibiting objectionable drug-related gustatory reactions. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Leptin Suppresses Mouse Taste Cell Responses to Sweet Compounds

Leptin is known to selectively suppress neural and behavioral responses to sweet-tasting compounds. However, the molecular basis for the effect of leptin on sweet taste is not known. Here, we report that leptin suppresses sweet taste via leptin receptors (Ob-Rb) and KATP channels expressed selectively in sweet-sensitive taste cells. Ob-Rb was more often expressed in taste cells that expressed T1R3 (a sweet receptor component) than in those that expressed glutamate-aspartate transporter (a marker for Type I taste cells) or GAD67 (a marker for Type III taste cells). Systemically administered leptin suppressed taste cell responses to sweet but not to bitter or sour compounds. This effect was blocked by a leptin antagonist and was absent in leptin receptor-deficient db/db mice and mice with diet-induced obesity. Blocking the KATP channel subunit sulfonylurea receptor 1, which was frequently coexpressed with Ob-Rb in T1R3-expressing taste cells, eliminated the effect of leptin on sweet taste. In contrast, activating the KATP channel with diazoxide mimicked the sweet-suppressing effect of leptin. These results indicate that leptin acts via Ob-Rb and KATP channels that are present in T1R3-expressing taste cells to selectively suppress their responses to sweet compounds.

Temperature Affects Human Sweet Taste via At Least Two Mechanisms

The reported effects of temperature on sweet taste in humans have generally been small and inconsistent. Here, we describe 3 experiments that follow up a recent finding that cooling from 37 to 21 °C does not reduce the initial sweetness of sucrose but increases sweet taste adaptation. In experiment 1, subjects rated the sweetness of sucrose, glucose, and fructose solutions at 5-41 °C by dipping the tongue tip into the solutions after 0-, 3-, or 10-s pre-exposures to the same solutions or to H2O; experiment 2 compared the effects of temperature on the sweetness of 3 artificial sweeteners (sucralose, aspartame, and saccharin); and experiment 3 employed a flow-controlled gustometer to rule out the possibility the effects of temperature in the preceding experiments were unique to dipping the tongue into a still taste solution. The results (i) confirmed that mild cooling does not attenuate sweetness but can increase sweet taste adaptation; (ii) demonstrated that cooling to 5-12 °C can directly reduce sweetness intensity; and (iii) showed that both effects vary across stimuli. These findings have implications for the TRPM5 hypothesis of thermal effects on sweet taste and raise the possibility that temperature also affects an earlier step in the T1R2-T1R3 transduction cascade.

Modulation of sweet taste sensitivities by endogenous leptin and endocannabinoids in mice

KEY POINTS

Potential roles of endogenous leptin and endocannabinoids in sweet taste were examined by using pharmacological antagonists and mouse models including leptin receptor deficient (db/db) and diet-induced obese (DIO) mice. Chorda tympani (CT) nerve responses of lean mice to sweet compounds were increased after administration of leptin antagonist (LA) but not affected by administration of cannabinoid receptor antagonist (AM251). db/db mice showed clear suppression of CT responses to sweet compounds after AM251, increased endocannabinoid levels in the taste organ, and enhanced expression of a biosynthesizing enzyme of endocannabinoids in taste cells. The effect of LA was gradually decreased and that of AM251 was increased during the course of obesity in DIO mice. These findings suggest that circulating leptin, but not local endocannabinoids, is a dominant modulator for sweet taste in lean mice and endocannabinoids become more effective modulators of sweet taste under conditions of deficient leptin signalling.

ABSTRACT

Leptin is an anorexigenic mediator that reduces food intake by acting on hypothalamic receptor Ob-Rb. In contrast, endocannabinoids are orexigenic mediators that act via cannabinoid CB1 receptors in hypothalamus, limbic forebrain, and brainstem. In the peripheral taste system, leptin administration selectively inhibits behavioural, taste nerve and taste cell responses to sweet compounds. Opposing the action of leptin, endocannabinoids enhance sweet taste responses. However, potential roles of endogenous leptin and endocannabinoids in sweet taste remain unclear. Here, we used pharmacological antagonists (Ob-Rb: L39A/D40A/F41A (LA), CB1 : AM251) and examined the effects of their blocking activation of endogenous leptin and endocannabinoid signalling on taste responses in lean control, leptin receptor deficient db/db, and diet-induced obese (DIO) mice. Lean mice exhibited significant increases in chorda tympani (CT) nerve responses to sweet compounds after LA administration, while they showed no significant changes in CT responses after AM251. In contrast, db/db mice showed clear suppression of CT responses to sweet compounds after AM251, increased endocannabinoid (2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycerol (2-AG)) levels in the taste organ, and enhanced expression of a biosynthesizing enzyme (diacylglycerol lipase α (DAGLα)) of 2-AG in taste cells. In DIO mice, the LA effect was gradually decreased and the AM251 effect was increased during the course of obesity. Taken together, our results suggest that circulating leptin, but not local endocannabinoids, may be a dominant modulator for sweet taste in lean mice; however, endocannabinoids may become more effective modulators of sweet taste under conditions of deficient leptin signalling, possibly due to increased production of endocannabinoids in taste tissue.

The endocrinology of taste receptors

Levels of obesity have reached epidemic proportions on a global scale, which has led to considerable increases in health problems and increased risk of several diseases, including cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, cancer and diabetes mellitus. People with obesity consume more food than is needed to maintain an ideal body weight, despite the discrimination that accompanies being overweight and the wealth of available information that overconsumption is detrimental to health. The relationship between energy expenditure and energy intake throughout an individual's lifetime is far more complicated than previously thought. An improved comprehension of the relationships between taste, palatability, taste receptors and hedonic responses to food might lead to increased understanding of the biological underpinnings of energy acquisition, as well as why humans sometimes eat more than is needed and more than we know is healthy. This Review discusses the role of taste receptors in the tongue, gut, pancreas and brain and their hormonal involvement in taste perception, as well as the relationship between taste perception, overeating and the development of obesity.

Perceptual and neural responses to sweet taste in humans and rodents

INTRODUCTION

This mini-review discusses some of the parallels between rodent neurophysiological and human psychophysical data concerning temperature effects on sweet taste.

METHODS AND PURPOSE

"Sweet" is an innately rewarding taste sensation that is associated in part with foods that contain calories in the form of sugars. Humans and other mammals can show unconditioned preference for select sweet stimuli. Such preference is poised to influence diet selection and, in turn, nutritional status, which underscores the importance of delineating the physiological mechanisms for sweet taste with respect to their influence on human health. Advances in our knowledge of the biology of sweet taste in humans have arisen in part through studies on mechanisms of gustatory processing in rodent models. Along this line, recent work has revealed there are operational parallels in neural systems for sweet taste between mice and humans, as indexed by similarities in the effects of temperature on central neurophysiological and psychophysical responses to sucrose in these species. Such association strengthens the postulate that rodents can serve as effective models of particular mechanisms of appetitive taste processing. Data supporting this link are discussed here, as are rodent and human data that shed light on relationships between mechanisms for sweet taste and ingestive disorders, such as alcohol abuse.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

Rodent models have utility for understanding mechanisms of taste processing that may pertain to human flavor perception. Importantly, there are limitations to generalizing data from rodents, albeit parallels across species do exist.

Taste bud leptin: sweet dampened at initiation site

The intriguing observation that leptin decreases sweet-evoked peripheral gustatory responses has aroused much interest (Kawai K, Sugimoto K, Nakashima K, Miura H, Ninomiya Y. 2000. Leptin as a modulator of sweet taste sensitivities in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 97(20):11044-11049.) due to its implied importance in controlling appetite. The effects of this anorexic hormone, however, appear more conditional than originally believed. In this issue of Chemical Senses, a careful study by Glendinning and colleagues, find no effects of leptin on sweet-evoked chorda tympani responses, whereas an equally careful study by Meredith and colleagues, find decreased release of ATP and increased release of 5-HT from taste buds in response to sweet stimuli.

Taste responsiveness to sweeteners is resistant to elevations in plasma leptin

There is uncertainty about the relationship between plasma leptin and sweet taste in mice. Whereas 2 studies have reported that elevations in plasma leptin diminish responsiveness to sweeteners, another found that they enhanced responsiveness to sucrose. We evaluated the impact of plasma leptin on sweet taste in C57BL/6J (B6) and leptin-deficient ob/ob mice. Although mice expressed the long-form leptin receptor (LepRb) selectively in Type 2 taste cells, leptin failed to activate a critical leptin-signaling protein, STAT3, in taste cells. Similarly, we did not observe any impact of intraperitoneal (i.p.) leptin treatment on chorda tympani nerve responses to sweeteners in B6 or ob/ob mice. Finally, there was no effect of leptin treatment on initial licking responses to several sucrose concentrations in B6 mice. We confirmed that basal plasma leptin levels did not exceed 10ng/mL, regardless of time of day, physiological state, or body weight, suggesting that taste cell LepRb were not desensitized to leptin in our studies. Furthermore, i.p. leptin injections produced plasma leptin levels that exceeded those previously reported to exert taste effects. We conclude that any effect of plasma leptin on taste responsiveness to sweeteners is subtle and manifests itself only under specific experimental conditions.

Influence of stimulus and oral adaptation temperature on gustatory responses in central taste-sensitive neurons

The temperature of taste stimuli can modulate gustatory processing. Perceptual data indicate that the adapted temperature of oral epithelia also influences gustation, although little is known about the neural basis of this effect. Here, we electrophysiologically recorded orosensory responses (spikes) to 25°C (cool) and 35°C (warm) solutions of sucrose (0.1 and 0.3 M), NaCl (0.004, 0.1, and 0.3 M), and water from taste-sensitive neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract in mice under varied thermal adaptation of oral epithelia. Conditions included presentation of taste stimuli isothermal to adaptation temperatures of 25°C (constant cooling) and 35°C (constant warming), delivery of 25°C stimuli following 35°C adaptation (relative cooling), and presentation of 35°C stimuli following 25°C adaptation (relative warming). Responses to sucrose in sucrose-oriented cells (n = 15) were enhanced under the constant and relative warming conditions compared with constant cooling, where contiguous cooling across adaptation and stimulus periods induced the lowest and longest latency responses to sucrose. Yet compared with constant warming, cooling sucrose following warm adaptation (relative cooling) only marginally reduced activity to 0.1 M sucrose and did not alter responses to 0.3 M sucrose. Thus, warmth adaptation counteracted the attenuation in sucrose activity associated with stimulus cooling. Analysis of sodium-oriented (n = 25) neurons revealed adaptation to cool water, and cooling taste solutions enhanced unit firing to 0.004 M (perithreshold) NaCl, whereas warmth adaptation and stimulus warming could facilitate activity to 0.3 M NaCl. The concentration dependence of this thermal effect may reflect a dual effect of temperature on the sodium reception mechanism that drives sodium-oriented cells.

Leptin's effect on taste bud calcium responses and transmitter secretion

Leptin, a peptide hormone released by adipose tissue, acts on the hypothalamus to control cravings and appetite. Leptin also acts to decrease taste responses to sweet substances, though there is little detailed information regarding where leptin acts in the taste transduction cascade. The present study examined the effects of leptin on sweet-evoked responses and neuro transmitter release from isolated taste buds. Our results indicate that leptin moderately decreased sweet-evoked calcium mobilization in isolated mouse taste buds. We also employed Chinese hamster ovary biosensor cells to examine taste transmitter release from isolated taste buds. Leptin reduced ATP and increased serotonin release in response to sweet stimulation. However, leptin has no effect on bitter-evoked transmitter release, further showing that the action of leptin is sweet specific. Our results support those of previous studies, which state that leptin acts on taste tissue via the leptin receptor, most likely on Type II (Receptor) cells, but also possibly on Type III (Presynaptic) cells.

Temperature systematically modifies neural activity for sweet taste

Temperature can modify neural and behavioral responses to taste stimuli that elicit "sweetness," a perception linked to intake of calorie-laden foods. However, the role of temperature in the neural representation of sweet taste is poorly understood. Here we made electrophysiological recordings from gustatory neurons in the medulla of inbred mice to study how adjustments in taste solution temperature to cool (18°C), ambient (22°C), and warm (30°C and 37°C) values changed the magnitude and latency of gustatory activity to sucrose (0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.17, 0.31, and 0.56 M). Analysis of 22 sucrose-best neurons revealed that temperature markedly influenced responses to sucrose, which, across concentrations, were largest when solutions were warmed to 30°C. However, reducing solution temperature from warm to ambient to cool progressively steepened the slope of the sucrose concentration-response function computed across cells (P < 0.05), indicating that mean activity to sucrose increased more rapidly with concentration steps under cooling than with warming. Thus the slope of the sucrose concentration-response function shows an inverse relation with temperature. Temperature also influenced latency to the first spike of the sucrose response. Across neurons, latencies were shorter when sucrose solutions were warmed and longer, by hundreds of milliseconds, when solutions were cooled (P < 0.05), indicating that temperature is also a temporal parameter of sucrose activity. Our findings reveal that temperature systematically modifies the timing of gustatory activity to sucrose in the mammalian brain and how this activity changes with concentration. Results further highlight how oral somatosensory cues function as physiological modulators of gustatory processing.

Ingestion of bacterial lipopolysaccharide inhibits peripheral taste responses to sucrose in mice

A fundamental role of the taste system is to discriminate between nutritive and toxic foods. However, it is unknown whether bacterial pathogens that might contaminate food and water modulate the transmission of taste input to the brain. We hypothesized that exogenous, bacterially-derived lipopolysaccharide (LPS), modulates neural responses to taste stimuli. Neurophysiological responses from the chorda tympani nerve, which innervates taste cells on the anterior tongue, were unchanged by acute exposure to LPS. Instead, neural responses to sucrose were selectively inhibited in mice that drank LPS during a single overnight period. Decreased sucrose sensitivity appeared 7days after LPS ingestion, in parallel with decreased lingual expression of Tas1r2 and Tas1r3 transcripts, which are translated to T1R2+T1R3 subunits forming the sweet taste receptor. Tas1r2 and Tas1r3 mRNA expression levels and neural responses to sucrose were restored by 14 days after LPS consumption. Ingestion of LPS, rather than contact with taste receptor cells, appears to be necessary to suppress sucrose responses. Furthermore, mice lacking the Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 for LPS were resistant to neurophysiological changes following LPS consumption. These findings demonstrate that ingestion of LPS during a single period specifically and transiently inhibits neural responses to sucrose. We suggest that LPS drinking initiates TLR4-dependent hormonal signals that downregulate sweet taste receptor genes in taste buds. Delayed inhibition of sweet taste signaling may influence food selection and the complex interplay between gastrointestinal bacteria and obesity.

Gustatory receptor neurons in Manduca sexta contain a TrpA1-dependent signaling pathway that integrates taste and temperature

Temperature modulates the peripheral taste response of many animals, in part by activating transient receptor potential (Trp) cation channels. We hypothesized that temperature would also modulate peripheral taste responses in larval Manduca sexta. We recorded excitatory responses of the lateral and medial styloconic sensilla to chemical stimuli at 14, 22, and 30 °C. The excitatory responses to 5 chemical stimuli-a salt (KCl), 3 sugars (sucrose, glucose, and inositol) and an alkaloid (caffeine)-were unaffected by temperature. In contrast, the excitatory response to the aversive compound, aristolochic acid (AA), increased robustly with temperature. Next, we asked whether TrpA1 mediates the thermally dependent taste response to AA. To this end, we 1) identified a TrpA1 gene in M. sexta; 2) demonstrated expression of TrpA1 in the lateral and medial styloconic sensilla; 3) determined that 2 TrpA1 antagonists (HC-030031 and mecamylamine) inhibit the taste response to AA, but not caffeine; and then 4) established that the thermal dependence of the taste response to AA is blocked by HC-030031. Taken together, our results indicate that TrpA1 serves as a molecular integrator of taste and temperature in M. sexta.

Modulation of central gustatory coding by temperature

Changes in oral temperature can influence taste perception, indicating overlap among mechanisms for taste and oral somesthesis. Medullary gustatory neurons can show cosensitivity to temperature, albeit how these cells process combined taste and thermal input is poorly understood. Here, we electrophysiologically recorded orosensory responses (spikes) from 39 taste-sensitive neurons in the nucleus tractus solitarii of anesthetized mice during oral delivery of tastants adjusted to innocuous cool (16 and 18°C), room (22°C, baseline), and warm (30 and 37°C) oral temperatures. Stimuli included (in mM) 100 sucrose, 30 NaCl, 3 HCl, 3 quinine, an umami mixture, and water. Although cooled water excited few cells, water warmed to 30 and 37°C significantly excited 33% and 64% of neurons, respectively. Warmth induced responses of comparable magnitude to room temperature tastants. Furthermore, warming taste solutions influenced the distribution of gustatory responses among neurons and increased (P < 0.05) neuronal breadth of tuning across taste qualities. The influence of warmth on response magnitude was stimulus specific. Across neurons, warming facilitated responses to sucrose and umami in a superadditive manner, as these responses exceeded (P < 0.05) the arithmetic sum of activity to warming alone and the taste stimulus tested at room temperature. Superadditive increases (P < 0.05) in responding were also noted in some cells for warmed HCl. Yet warming induced only simple additive or subtractive effects on responses to quinine and NaCl. Data show temperature is a parameter of gustatory processing, like taste quality and concentration, in medullary circuits for taste.