Insulin Function in Peripheral Taste Organ Homeostasis

• DOI: 10.1007/s40496-020-00266-2
• Publication Date: 2020-03-19T06:02:46Z
• Authors: Shingo Takai; Noriatsu Shigemura
• Keywords: Homeostasis

Taste is the sensory system primarily devoted to the selection of what we eat. Various internal factors are likely involved in the modulation of taste sensitivity or homeostasis in the context of one’s general nutritional condition. For ameliorating or preventing lifestyle-related diseases, it is important to understand how our taste system is maintained and disrupted. This review focuses on insulin, the most potent anabolic agent in our body and a possible modulator of taste sensation, in the peripheral taste system. The insulin receptor is expressed in taste buds and taste progenitor/stem cells. Insulin expression itself is also reported in taste buds. Recent studies suggest that insulin signaling might contribute to the regulation of taste cell generation. Insulin in blood circulation or in taste buds might influence taste cell turnover and certain taste sensitivities. Hyperinsulinemia is one possible cause of taste disorders frequently observed in diabetes patients.