6533b7d7fe1ef96bd126957a

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Détection orosensorielle des lipides alimentaires chez la souris : mécanismes impliqués et altérations au cours de l'obésité

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description

Dietary lipids are detected by the gustatory system in rodents and humans. Two candidate lipid-receptors are found in taste buds: CD36, which is involved in the fat taste as shown by studies conducted in our laboratory, and GPR120. Our results show that GPR120 is not directly involved in the gustatory detection of lipids in mice, but could rather be involved in the modulation of the sensitivity for fat. When this gustatory system works properly, food choices can meet the organism’s energy needs. Besides, the pleasure brought by the consumption of palatable foods is satisfied. However, obese people often overconsume energy-dense food. In the central nervous system, perturbations of the reward mechanisms have been observed, but our data show that the peripheral detection system is also altered in obese mice. A reversible decrease in the gustatory sensitivity for lipids has been found in diet-induced obese mice (diet rich in saturated fatty acids). This phenomenon is the consequence of a deficiency in the regulation of the CD36-dependant calcium signaling in gustatory papillae. To determine the origin of these perturbations, the role of obese-associated metabolic endotoxemia (characterized by an increase in plasma LPS coming from the intestinal microbiota) was investigated. We showed that low-grade endotoxemia, when studied outside of the context of obesity, is insufficient to trigger an alteration of the oral lipid detection. The origin of this alteration is therefore multifactorial, probably involving a combination of hormonal and inflammatory modifications.