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Orosensory Perception of Dietary Lipids in Mammals

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Chemosensory Systems in Mammals, Fishes, and Insects

Part of the book series: Results and Problems in Cell Differentiation ((RESULTS,volume 47))

Abstract

Obesity constitutes a major public health problem for the twenty-first century, with its epidemic spread worldwide, particularly in children. The overconsumption of fatty foods greatly contributes to this phenomenon. Rodents and humans display a spontaneous preference for lipid-rich foods. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this pattern of eating behaviour in mammals remain unclear. The orosensory perception of dietary lipids was long thought to involve only textural and olfactory cues. Recent findings challenge this limited viewpoint, strongly suggesting that the sense of taste also plays a significant role in dietary lipid perception and might therefore be involved in the preference for fatty foods and obesity. This minireview analyses recent data relating to the molecular mechanisms and physiological consequences of this means of orosensory lipid perception.

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Abbreviations

CT:

Chorda tympani

CTX:

Bilateral transection of the chorda tympani nerve

DRK:

Delayed-rectifying potassium

FFA:

Free fatty acid

GL:

Glossopharyngeal

GLX:

Bilateral transection of the glossopharyngeal nerve

GPCR:

G-protein-coupled receptor

LCFA:

Long-chain fatty acid

PROP:

6-n-Propylthiouracil

PTK:

Protein tyrosine kinase

PUFA:

Polyunsaturated fatty acid

NST:

Nucleus of the solitary tract

TG:

Triglyceride

TRC:

Taste receptor cells

TRPM5:

Transient receptor potential protein 5

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  1. Physiologie de la Nutrition, UMR INSERM U 866, École Nationale Supérieure de Biologie Appliquée à la Nutrition et à ľAlimentation (ENSBANA), Université de Bourgogne 1, Esplanade Erasme, 21000 Dijon, France

    P. Passilly-Degrace, D. Gaillard & P. Besnard

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  1. P. Passilly-Degrace
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  2. D. Gaillard
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  3. P. Besnard
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    Passilly-Degrace, P., Gaillard, D., Besnard, P. (2008). Orosensory Perception of Dietary Lipids in Mammals. In: Korsching, S., Meyerhof, W. (eds) Chemosensory Systems in Mammals, Fishes, and Insects. Results and Problems in Cell Differentiation, vol 47. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/400_2008_7

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