title: Effects of early intraoral acesulfame-K stimulation to mice on the adult's sweet preference and the expression of α-gustducin in fungiform papilla.
abstract: Exposure to artificial sweetener acesulfame-K (AK) at early development stages may influence the adult sweet preference and the periphery gustatory system. We observed that the intraoral AK stimulation to mice from postnatal day 4 (P4) to weaning decreased the preference thresholds for AK and sucrose solutions in adulthood, with the preference pattern unchanged. The preference scores were increased in the exposure group significantly when compared with the control group at a range of concentrations for AK or sucrose solution. Meanwhile, more α-Gustducin-labeled fungiform taste buds and cells in a single taste bud were induced from week 7 by the early intraoral AK stimulation. However, the growth in the number of α-Gustducin-positive taste bud or positive cell number per taste bud occurred only in the anterior region, the rostral 1-mm part, but not in the intermediate region, the caudal 4-mm part, of the anterior two-third of the tongue containing fungiform papillae. This work extends our previous observations and provides new information about the developmental and regional expression pattern of α-Gustducin in mouse fungiform taste bud under early AK-stimulated conditions.
authors.affiliation: Sensory Science Laboratory, School of Bioscience and Food Engineering, Changshu Institute of Technology, Changshu 215500, PR China. zgh1970cn@gmail.com
authors.forename: Meng-Ling
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Si-Si
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Gen-Hua
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Quan
authors.forename: Yue-Hua
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.forename: Tian-Yuan
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Yu-Mei
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: Shao-Ping
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Deng
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D013549:Sweetening Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013650:Taste Buds / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D013843:Thiazines / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015293:Transducin / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D013549:Sweetening Agents; D013843:Thiazines; C075192:gustducin; D015293:Transducin; C006362:acetosulfame
keywords: acesulfame-K; mouse; sweet preference; taste bud; α-Gustducin