Novel regulation of peripheral gustatory function by the immune
system.
Phillips, Lynnette M., and David L. Hill.
Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville,
Virginia 22903-2477
APStracts 3:0116R, 1996.
Soon after adult rats receive unilateral chorda tympani nerve section
in combination with dietary sodium restriction, neural taste
responses recorded from the intact, contralateral chorda tympani
nerve are substantially reduced. We hypothesized that the immune
system is compromised in sodium-restricted rats, which leads to
functional alterations in the peripheral taste system after neural
injury. Here, immune function was stimulated with a systemic
injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and neurophysiological
responses were recorded from the uncut chorda tympani 4-10 days after
nerve section to determine if normal sodium sensitivity was restored.
Rats receiving nerve section, dietary sodium- restriction and LPS
exhibited normal sodium responses. In intact rats, injection of LPS
alone, or LPS injection combined with sodium-restriction had no
effect on taste responses to sodium stimuli. Surprisingly, combining
nerve section, LPS injection, and maintenance of rats on a normal
diet induced supersensitive responses to sodium. These findings are
the first to demonstrate that the immune system can regulate
peripheral gustatory function.
Received 21 November 1995; accepted in final form 15 March 1995.
APS Manuscript Number R729-5.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Regulatory Integrative
Comp. Physiology).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1996 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 1 April 96