Do Gut Microbes Taste?

Abstract

Gut microbiota has emerged as a major metabolically active organ with critical functions in both health and disease. The trillions of microorganisms hosted by the gastrointestinal tract are involved in numerous physiological and metabolic processes including modulation of appetite and regulation of energy in the host spanning from periphery to the brain. Indeed, bacteria and their metabolic byproducts are working in concert with the host chemosensory signaling pathways to affect both short- and long-term ingestive behavior. Sensing of nutrients and taste by specialized G protein-coupled receptor cells is important in transmitting food-related signals, optimizing nutrition as well as in prevention and treatment of several diseases, notably obesity, diabetes and associated metabolic disorders. Further, bacteria metabolites interact with specialized receptors cells expressed by gut epithelium leading to taste and appetite response changes to nutrients. This review describes recent advances on the role of gut bacteria in taste perception and functions. It further discusses how intestinal dysbiosis characteristic of several pathological conditions may alter and modulate taste preference and food consumption via changes in taste receptor expression.

Microbiome First Approaches to Rescue Public Health and Reduce Human Suffering

“…Table 2 [96][97][98][99][100][101][102][103][104][105][106][107][108][109][110][111][112] illustrates examples of research into the relationship between taste, food choices, and eating. Other factors such as smell/odor detection, satiety, and addictions follow in subsequent tables.…”

Microbiome First Approaches to Rescue Public Health and Reduce Human Suffering

“…What we get from food depends upon what we eat but also on what the microbes do as per extraction and metabolism of the food. Table 2 [96][97][98][99][100][101][102][103][104][105][106][107][108][109][110][111][112] illustrates examples of research into the relationship between taste, food choices, and eating. Other factors such as smell/odor detection, satiety, and addictions follow in subsequent tables.…”

“…Do gut microbes taste? [96] See Table 2. That is addressed by Leung and Corvasa [96] in their recent review.…”

“…[96] See Table 2. That is addressed by Leung and Corvasa [96] in their recent review. There are five tastes that human can not only detect but also evaluate for quality: sweet, bitter, salty, sour, and savory.…”

“…Taste receptor bearing cells have to turn over and inflammatory processes resulting from loss of barrier function and/or colonization resistance can allow lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to activate innate immune cells increasing pro-inflammatory cytokine concentrations. As these spread, both taste cell receptor expression and taste thresholds change [96]. This is another reason why barrier integrity is crucial.…”