Astringency: a more stringent definition

Abstract

Despite being an everyday sensory experience, the nature of astringency perception is not clear. In this issue of Chemical Senses, Schöbel et al. demonstrate that astringency is a trigeminal sensation in human, and astringents trigger a G protein-coupled pathway in trigeminal ganglion cells in the mouse.

Keywords: G protein; astringency; taste; trigeminal sensation.

Figure 1

A collection of food and beverages that cause astringency sensation.

Figure 2

Astringency and taste sensation. Basic tastes are detected by taste receptor cells in the taste buds. These cells express taste receptors including GPCRs and ion channels. Gustatory nerves receive input from these receptor cells and transmit the taste information to the brain. The hot chili pepper ingredient capsaicin activates trigeminal nerves though TRPV1 (transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily V, member 1) channels. Astringency perception is mediated by trigeminal nerves through the activation of Gs and adenylyl cyclase.