2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Saliva for tasting and eating food: Its central nervous mechanism
| Project/Area Number |
21K11697
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Review Section |
Basic Section 59040:Nutrition science and health science-related
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| Research Institution | Okayama University |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
向井 康敬 名古屋大学, 環境医学研究所, 特任助教 (30908124)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
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| Keywords | 上唾液核 / 視床下部外側野 / 顎下腺・舌下腺 / 味覚 / オレキシン |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Taste substances are dissolved in saliva and reach taste cells to stimulate taste receptors. Thus, saliva is essential for eating and tasting foods. Saliva is abundantly secreted during eating, but the central nervous mechanism is unknown. The superior salivary nucleus (SSN) neurons, which is the parasympathetic center of the submandibular and sublingual glands, expresses OX receptors, so we clarified the distribution of OX-producing lateral hypothalamic (LH, feeding center) neurons. Electrical stimulation of LH in anesthetized rats did not cause saliva secretion. However, saliva was secreted when pilocarpine, a parasympathomimetic drug, was administered intraperitoneally, revealing that saliva secretion is strongly influenced by anesthetic drugs. Then, We are currently developing a method to activate LH in awake rats and measure salivation.
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| Free Research Field |
口腔生理学分野
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
味物質は唾液に溶解して味細胞に到達することにより味覚受容器を刺激するため、おいしく味わう為には唾液は不可欠であるが、大きく不足しない限りその重要性に気づかない。頭頸部がんの治療で放射線治療が頻繁に行われ、唾液分泌障害が必発するが、多くの患者は「味を感じにくくなった」と訴える。食事中に豊富な唾液分泌が起こることを切り口に、本研究は唾液分泌の中枢神経機構を解明することを試みた。現在、まだ研究は進行中であるが、これまでの研究から唾液分泌は麻酔薬の影響を強く受けることが明らかになった。このことから、中枢に移行する薬物、例えば向精神薬なども唾液分泌に影響することが示唆される。
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