Decreased parotid saliva gustin/carbonic anhydrase VI secretion: an enzyme disorder manifested by gustatory and olfactory dysfunction.
Am J Med Sci
; 318(6): 380-91, 1999 Dec.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-10616163
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Taste and smell dysfunction has been reported to occur in patients with a variety of clinical problems. We wanted to investigate a specific group of patients in whom taste and smell dysfunction occurred putatively related to a specific biochemical abnormality in a salivary growth factor [gustin/carbonic anhydrase (CA) VI] considered responsible for maintenance of taste bud function.METHODS:
Eighteen patients developed loss and/or distortion of taste and smell after an acute influenza-type illness. They were evaluated clinically, by psychophysical tests of taste and smell function, by measurement of parotid salivary gustin/CAVI by a radioimmunoassay and by measurement of serum, urine, and salivary zinc. Biopsies of circumvallate papillae were obtained in 6 patients and examined by transmission electron microscopy. Similar studies were performed in 55 asymptomatic volunteers with biopsies of circumvallate papillae performed in 4.RESULTS:
Taste and smell acuity were impaired in patients compared with healthy volunteers and parotid gustin/CAVI, salivary, and serum zinc concentrations were lower in patients than in healthy volunteers. Taste buds in circumvallate papillae of patients exhibited severe vacuolization, cellular degeneration, and absence of dense extracellular material.CONCLUSIONS:
These results describe a clinical disorder formulated as a syndrome of hyposmia (decreased smell acuity), hypogeusia (decreased taste acuity), dysosmia (distorted smell function), dysgeusia (distorted taste function), and decreased secretion of parotid saliva gustin/CAVI with associated pathological changes in taste bud anatomy. Because gustin/CAVI is found in humans only in parotid saliva and has been associated with taste bud growth and development these results suggest that inhibition of synthesis of gustin/CAVI is associated with development of taste bud abnormalities and thereby loss of taste function.
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Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Parotid Gland
/
Saliva
/
Salivary Proteins and Peptides
/
Taste Disorders
/
Carbonic Anhydrases
/
Enzyme Activators
/
Influenza, Human
/
Olfaction Disorders
Type of study:
Etiology_studies
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Aged80
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
En
Journal:
Am J Med Sci
Year:
1999
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States