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Insulin Function in Peripheral Taste Organ Homeostasis

  • Oral Disease and Nutrition (F Nishimura, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Taste is the sensory system primarily devoted to the selection of what we eat. Various internal factors are likely involved in the modulation of taste sensitivity or homeostasis in the context of one’s general nutritional condition. For ameliorating or preventing lifestyle-related diseases, it is important to understand how our taste system is maintained and disrupted. This review focuses on insulin, the most potent anabolic agent in our body and a possible modulator of taste sensation, in the peripheral taste system.

Recent Findings

The insulin receptor is expressed in taste buds and taste progenitor/stem cells. Insulin expression itself is also reported in taste buds. Recent studies suggest that insulin signaling might contribute to the regulation of taste cell generation.

Summary

Insulin in blood circulation or in taste buds might influence taste cell turnover and certain taste sensitivities. Hyperinsulinemia is one possible cause of taste disorders frequently observed in diabetes patients.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI) grants 17 K17938 (S.T.) and 19H03818 (N.S.). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Oral Neuroscience, Faculty of Dental Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

    Shingo Takai & Noriatsu Shigemura

  2. Division of Sensory Physiology, Research and Development Center for Five-Sense Devices, Taste and Odor Sensing, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

    Noriatsu Shigemura

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  1. Shingo Takai
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Correspondence to Shingo Takai.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Animal Experiments

Mouse husbandry and all mouse experiments were carried out under the ethical guidelines of Kyushu University. All experimental protocols and procedures were approved by the committee for Laboratory Animal Care and Use at Kyushu University in accordance with the National Institutes of Health Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (approval number: A29–206).

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Takai, S., Shigemura, N. Insulin Function in Peripheral Taste Organ Homeostasis. Curr Oral Health Rep 7, 168–173 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40496-020-00266-2

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