Bitter taste receptors as sensors of gut luminal contents.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of mechanisms without systematic search methodology or new human clinical trial data.
PubMed 39468215 · doi:10.1038/s41575-024-01005-z
What was done
This narrative review synthesizes literature on the anatomical distribution, signaling cascades, and physiological functions of bitter taste receptors (Tas2rs in rodents, TAS2Rs in humans) throughout the gastrointestinal mucosa, particularly in enteroendocrine, Paneth, goblet, and tuft cells.
What was found
The abstract provides no quantitative metrics or numerical data. It describes that gut mucosal TAS2Rs trigger intracellular Ca2+ elevation and signaling molecule secretion, are upregulated in response to high-fat diets, modulate gastrointestinal function and ingestive behavior through local and gut-brain axis pathways, and mediate mucosal defense via antimicrobial peptide release and tuft-cell-driven type 2 immune responses.
Why it matters
It outlines how extraoral bitter taste receptors function beyond taste perception to regulate metabolic homeostasis and intestinal immunity, highlighting their potential as therapeutic targets for metabolic disorders.
Limits
This is a narrative review that reports no primary empirical data, search methodology, or sample sizes. The summarized findings rely heavily on preclinical and mechanistic models, and the abstract includes no clinical efficacy or safety data in humans.
Cited by
- context Bitter taste receptors located throughout the digestive tract account for nearly 50% of all digestive signaling in the body.
- context Bitter receptors control upwards of half of all digestive signals in the human body.