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Project

Bitter chemosensory pathways in the gut regulate reward sensitivity and food intake

The gut ‘tastes’ what we eat—bitter, sweet, fat, umami or proteins—in much the same way as the tongue and through the use of similar signaling mechanisms. Indeed, the gut comprises a whole network of taste receptors and transporters in several cell types that cross-regulate each other‘s expression. The result is the release of gut hormones that help to control blood sugar levels but also communicate with the brain to control satiety when food reaches the gut. These taste receptors in the stomach may therefore function as inhibitors of excess food intake, and their malfunction may play a role in the development of obesity, diabetes, and related metabolic conditions. Studies with plant-derived bitter tastants suggest that bitter agonists have a favorable effect on body weight loss and on glucose levels. We recently showed that bitter agonists induce the release of the stomachderived hunger hormone ghrelin. This resulted in an initial short-term increase in food intake but was followed by a prolonged decrease in food intake correlating with a delay in gastric emptying. The current project aims to unravel the mechanisms underlying the role of bitter taste receptors in the gut. Using a multidisciplinary translational approach we want to unravel the interplay between bitter agonists and hormonal, neuromuscular and brain function in the control of reward sensitivity and food intake by performing studies in vitro and in vivo in healthy volunteers.

Date:1 Jan 2015 →  31 Dec 2018
Keywords:Chemosensorische signalen
Disciplines:Laboratory medicine, Palliative care and end-of-life care, Regenerative medicine, Other basic sciences, Other health sciences, Nursing, Other paramedical sciences, Other translational sciences, Other medical and health sciences