Have you ever produced too many bitter taste receptors on your tongue? You probably spit out what it was in your mouth, and that’s our best guess as to why we have them: stop us from consuming anything that may be harmful.
Our skin cells have the same receptors. Similar objectives at the cellular level: to detect bitter substances. The new research, led by biologists at Okayama University of Science, is based on knowledge of the Type-2 taste receptor (TAS2RS) found in skin keratinocytes. Its role is to ensure that potentially harmful materials do not stick and cause damage.
When thought of as being trapped in the tongue, TAS2R actually spreads even further throughout the body. They line up in your colon, your stomach, and your upper respiratory tract.
a 2015 paper They discovered that they are not only hiding, but are also troubled by the activity of keratinized epithelial cells in the human skin. New research will be the question of what they are doing there.
Human keratin cells grown in the laboratory were given to typical “bitter medicine.” Phenylthiocarbamide (PTC), is used in all kinds of studies on the genetics of bitterness.
Upon detection and binding of PTC, the receptor caused the production of a fleet of ABC transporters, closure of bitter compounds that cross the membrane and return from the cells.
To determine whether this newly installed outlet is functional, the team managed a visible tracer dye that could be rapidly excreted from cells via specific ABC transporters. When the team treated the cells with a substance called VerapMil, known to inhibit transporters, the tracers were able to go outside and accumulate.
Researchers believe this series of events set by TAS2RS prevents cells from being damaged by potentially toxic bitter compounds. Why you can enjoy a “bitter” taste Totally.
When it comes to the taste of the tongue, the ju umpire is still out on whether the bitterness actually helps to detect harmful substances. Research has been discovered This flavor profile may not be as useful indicators of toxicity as you once thought. Many popular foods and drinks have a bitter flavor profile, and many toxic substances lack it.
However, this latest study shows that, among skin cells, at least, there may be some advantages in the receptor to withstand exposure to toxins. Cells administered antihistamine toxic levels There was a much better survival rate when their bitter receptors were fired previously.
“aIncreased TAS2RS by bitter compounds such as PTC and saccharin enhances ABCB1 production and prevents diphenhydramine-induced cell death through excretion of these compounds,” the authors said. Report.
Verapamil also reversed this protective effect.
“Overall, the harmless activator of TAS2R may be a promising drug that promotes the excretion of toxic substances from human skin,” the authors suggest.
Coffee scrub, someone?
This study was published in faseb bioadvance.
