Yanagisawa Takuya, Misaka Takumi
Institute of Technology Solutions, R&D Division, Kewpie Corporation, 2-5-7, Sengawa-cho, Chofu-shi, Tokyo 182-0002, Japan.
Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
ACS Omega. 2021 Feb 1;6(6):4401-4407. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.0c05599. eCollection 2021 Feb 16.
Vegetables are important sources of nutrients and bioactive compounds; however, their consumption is often insufficient, partly because of unpleasant taste characteristics. This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms underlying bitter taste reception and to develop methods to suppress bitterness. We focused on sesquiterpene lactones found in edible Asteraceae species. HEK293T cells that heterologously expressed human bitter taste receptors (including TAS2R46) together with a chimeric G protein were analyzed using calcium imaging, and cellular responses to four sesquiterpene lactones contained in lettuce were examined. We found that TAS2R46-expressing cells responded most strongly to bitter compounds. The EC value of 11β,13-dihydrolactucopicrin was 2.0 ± 0.6 μM, in agreement with the previously reported bitterness threshold of the compound. Adjustment of pH from neutral to weak acidic conditions reduced the response of TAS2R46-expressing cells to sesquiterpene lactones. We demonstrate the possibility of regulating the bitterness of Asteraceae species by controlling the pH.
蔬菜是营养物质和生物活性化合物的重要来源；然而，人们对蔬菜的摄入量往往不足，部分原因是其味道不佳。本研究旨在探究苦味感知的潜在机制，并开发抑制苦味的方法。我们重点研究了可食用菊科植物中发现的倍半萜内酯。使用钙成像技术分析了异源表达人类苦味受体（包括TAS2R46）与嵌合G蛋白的HEK293T细胞，并检测了细胞对生菜中所含四种倍半萜内酯的反应。我们发现，表达TAS2R46的细胞对苦味化合物反应最为强烈。11β,13 - 二氢莴苣苦素的EC值为2.0±0.6μM，与该化合物先前报道的苦味阈值一致。将pH从中性调节至弱酸性条件可降低表达TAS2R46的细胞对倍半萜内酯的反应。我们证明了通过控制pH来调节菊科植物苦味的可能性。
