Importance of Bitter Taste
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Importance of bitter taste from a molecular biology perspective
According to Braun, Kramer and Mack (509) in human beings the ability to detect bitter taste helps in protection enabling one to detect and avoid harmful alkaloids and toxins. These include secondary plant metabolites, manufactured chemicals, fats and inorganic ions. The ability is an innate tendency in human beings to help avoid consuming poisons since most poisons have bitter taste. The defense mechanism uses chemical detectors that display ability to recognize many different chemicals. Taste buds detect bitter taste using receptors that are coupled with G protein, TAS2Rs (Braun, Kramer and Mack 507-512).
Bitter taste sensations also helps in selection of diets as some bitter tasting food have health benefits and are included in the diets. The taste buds that detect bitter taste trigger physiological reflexes along the gut to release the necessary enzymes required for digestion. Taste buds initiate cephalic responses that enable recognition of food (Kevan, Shweta and Tesfaldet 157).
Receptors for bitter taste are also found in both upper and lower respiratory tissue and known to control the defense of the upper respiratory system. This is important in treatment of chronic sinus conditions. For instance, bitter coffee is recommended for patients of chronic sinus infection. The ability to sense bitter taste is correlated with ability in fighting infections of the upper respiratory system especially chronic sinus infections (Rhinol 284). When one tastes bitter compound, the body is alerted of a potential harm by spoiled or toxic food. When bitter taste is activated, the body launches an immune response in the upper respiratory system, which is potentially at risk of harmful viruses and bacteria. Bitter taste receptors known as T2R38 guard the upper airway by detecting molecules secreted by a certain bacteria. The molecules cause other bacteria to develop a biofilm thus harboring the bacteria. The biofilm instruct the immune system to respond hence developing the sinusitis symptoms. Detection of the molecules by the T2R38 activates increase of mucus clearance destroying the invading bacteria (Rhinol 1453).
Works Cited
Braun T, Kramer M and Mack B. “Solitary chemosensory cells in the respiratory and vomeronasal epithelium of the human nose: A pilot study. Rhinology 49.5(2011): 507–512. Print.
Kevan, Hartshorn, Shweta, Tripathi and Tesfaldet, Tecle. “Review: Defensins and Cathelicidins in Lung Immunity.” Innate Immune 16.3 (2010):151–159. Print.
Rhinol, Lee. “T2R38 Taste Receptor Polymorphisms Underlie Susceptibility to Upper Respiratory Infection.” J Clin Invest 122.11 (2012): 4145–4159. Print.
Rhinol, Lee. “Cohen NA. The Emerging Role of the Bitter Taste Receptor T2R38 in Upper Respiratory Infection and Chronic Rhinosinusitis.” Am J Rhinol Allergy 27.4 (2013):283–286. Print.