PHILADELPHIA,
July 29,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The tastebuds of the tongue
contain bundles of specialized cells bearing sensors that detect
chemical attributes of food. Known as taste receptors, these
sensors were long believed to reside only on the tongue. Marco
Tizzano, an associate professor in the Department of Basic
& Translational Sciences at Penn Dental Medicine, was among
those who discovered them in many places elsewhere in and on the
body.
He has since documented taste receptors
throughout the airways, especially in the nose, but also the
trachea and the lungs, as well as the gums and even dental pulp.
These sensors, he and others have found, detect bacterial pathogens
and allergens, then alert the innate immune system.
Tizzano's research has shown that bitter sensing
taste receptors in the nose respond to a compound bacteria use to
communicate. These sensors then activate the trigeminal nerve, a
cranial nerve that provides sensation to the face, leading to a
significant inflammatory response.
Bitter taste receptors also show up in the gums.
In experiments, Tizzano's research team demonstrated that in gum
tissue these receptors actually offer some natural protection
against periodontitis, the most severe form of gum disease. After
sensing pathogenic bacteria, they trigger the production of
antimicrobial peptides to kill the germs. Without these receptors,
mice suffered from more damaging periodontitis, the researchers
found.
In another line of study, Tizzano's lab is
looking at odor-detecting receptors found on neurons in dental
pulp. When these relatives of the taste sensors detect eugenol, an
odor molecule from cloves, they numb the teeth.
As someone who looks for connections between
disciplines, Tizzano ultimately seeks to use naturally occurring
compounds, such as eugenol, to stimulate these receptors in ways
that benefit health. Such applications could include a new form of
pain relief for dental procedures or a therapy to stifle the
microbial growth triggering the inflammation that drives
periodontal disease.
"I think we are still at the tip of the iceberg,"
Tizzano says. "There is so much more to discover about these
receptors."
Media Contact: Beth Adams,
adamsnb@dental.upenn.edu
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/penn-dental-medicine-researchers-leveraging-far-flung-taste-and-smell-sensors-302208217.html
SOURCE PENN DENTAL MEDICINE