Center for Molecular Nutrition and Sensory Disorders, The Taste and Smell Clinic, Washington, DC, USA.
J Oral Pathol Med. 2017 Oct;46(9):829-833. doi: 10.1111/jop.12541. Epub 2017 Feb 7.
To demonstrate that sonic hedgehog (Shh) is present in human parotid saliva and is decreased in human taste dysfunction.
Shh was measured in parotid saliva of 27 normal subjects and 81 patients with taste dysfunction of multiple etiologies using a sensitive spectrophotometric ELISA assay. Taste dysfunction was defined clinically both by subjective decreases of taste acuity and flavor perception and by impaired gustometry.
Shh was found in parotid saliva of both normal subjects and patients with taste dysfunction. Levels were significantly lower in patients than in normal subjects. Both subjective loss of taste acuity and flavor perception and impaired gustometry was measured in untreated patients.
This is the first demonstration of Shh in human saliva. As Shh has been related to taste bud growth and development, its presence in saliva is consistent with its role as a cell signaling moiety involved with stimulation of taste bud stem cells to generate taste receptors. Decreased saliva Shh secretion can be considered a marker of taste dysfunction in patients with multiple pathologies for their dysfunction.
证明 Sonic Hedgehog（Shh）存在于人类腮腺唾液中，并在人类味觉功能障碍中减少。
使用灵敏的分光光度 ELISA 测定法，在 27 名正常受试者和 81 名味觉功能障碍的多病因患者的腮腺唾液中测量 Shh。味觉功能障碍通过主观味觉敏锐度和风味感知下降以及味觉测量受损来临床定义。
Shh 在正常受试者和味觉功能障碍患者的腮腺唾液中均有发现。患者的水平明显低于正常受试者。未经治疗的患者均测量到主观味觉敏锐度和风味感知丧失以及味觉测量受损。
这是 Shh 在人类唾液中首次被证明。由于 Shh 与味觉感受器的生长和发育有关，其在唾液中的存在与其作为与刺激味觉感受器干细胞生成味觉感受器的细胞信号分子的作用一致。唾液 Shh 分泌减少可被视为具有多种病理病因的患者味觉功能障碍的标志物。
