Spilanthol Enhances Sensitivity to Sodium in Mouse Taste Bud Cells.

ABSTRACT: Overconsumption of NaCl has been linked to increased hypertension-related morbidity. Compounds that can enhance NaCl responses in taste cells could help reduce human NaCl consumption without sacrificing perceived saltiness. Spilanthol is an unsaturated alkylamide isolated from the Jambu plant (Acmella oleracea) that can induce tingling, pungency, and numbing in the mouth. Structurally similar fatty acid amides, such as sanshool, elicit numbing and tingling sensations by inhibiting 2-pore-domain potassium leak channels on trigeminal sensory neurons. Even when insufficient to induce action potential firing, leak current inhibition causes depolarization and increased membrane resistance, which combine to make cells more sensitive to subsequent depolarizing stimuli, such as NaCl. Using calcium

SUBMITTER: Xu J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6350677 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature