Chemical activation of sensory TRP channels

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016. The overall perception of flavor results from the integration of taste, smell, and somatosensory information streaming out of specialized receptor cells located in the oronasal cavities. Several members of the transient receptor potential family of cation channels contribute to the signal transduction of chemical stimuli. All bona fide TRP channel chemosensors contribute to flavor detection by acting on epithelial cells and/or sensory nerve endings in the mucosa of the nose, mouth, and throat. Chemical activation of these channels results in a very obvious, but yet obscure, sensory modality called trigeminality or chemesthesis, which is related to the perception of texture, temperature, and pungency. These sensations arise when chemical compounds activate receptor cells associated with other senses that mediate touch, thermal perception, and pain. In this chapter we illustrate the huge diversity of chemical agonists of TRP channels and underscore the need of more basic research on this amazing family of molecular sensors, which are very likely to hold the key for better understanding of human sensory pathophysiology.

Jaar van publicatie:2017