Caffeine intensities taste of certain sweeteners: Role of adenosine receptor

doi:10.1016/0091-3057(86)90536-8

Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior

Volume 24, Issue 3, March 1986, Pages 429-432

https://doi.org/10.1016/0091-3057(86)90536-8 Get rights and content

Abstract

Caffeine, a potent antagonist of adenosine receptors. potentiates the taste of some but not all sweeteners. It is significantly enhances the taste of acesulfam-K, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone, d-tryptophan, thaumatin, stevioside, and sodium saccharin. Adenosine reverses the enhancement. Caffeine has no effect on aspartame, sucrose, fructose, and calcium cyclamate. These results suggest that the inhibitory A₁ adenosine receptor plays an important local role in modulating the taste intensity of certain sweeteners and that several transduction mechanisms mediate sweet taste.

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Cited by (39)

Hydration and self-association of caffeine molecules in aqueous solution: Comparative effects of sucrose and β-cyclodextrin
2009, Spectrochimica Acta - Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy
The UV-spectra of pure caffeine were measured and two quite differentiated hyper- or hypo-chromic effects were observed as concentration was increased. The first one was explained as due to caffeine–water molecule interaction and the second as originating from dimer formation and staking of caffeine molecules.
The effects of sucrose and β-cyclodextrin on the hydration and the self-association of caffeine were also examined by UV spectroscopy.
Sucrose was found to enhance the self-association of caffeine molecules by attracting and structuring water molecules around itself. The caffeine–caffeine hydrophobic interactions were promoted in such hydrophilic environment and so was the stacking. The molecular aggregation leads to reducing the electronic mobility and so is the case for the mesomeric effect in the heterogeneous cycle. This could explain the hypo-chromic phenomenon observed when sucrose concentration was increased.
β-Cyclodextrin shows a distinct behaviour because of its ability to form inclusion complexes with various hydrophobic guest molecules. This ability enhances the solubility of caffeine molecules throughout the inclusion interactions and prevents the caffeine self-association.
Effects of chronic administration of caffeine and stress on feeding behavior of rats
2008, Physiology and Behavior
Citation Excerpt :
Adenosine is known to modulate the action of neurotransmitters, including dopamine, in the nucleus accumbens [24,25]. Some studies demonstrate that a functional dopamine/adenosine interaction in the nucleus accumbens is necessary to induce the reinforcing effects of rewards [26], and that adenosine is involved in the sweet taste perception [27,28]. Therefore, this modulation could be involved in the present behavioral findings [29].
Anorectic effects of caffeine are controversial in the literature, while stress and obesity are growing problems in our society. Since many stressed people are coffee drinkers, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of stress and chronic administration of caffeine on feeding behavior and body weight in male and female rats. Wistar rats (both males and females) were divided into 3 groups: control (receiving water), caffeine 0.3 g/L and caffeine 1.0 g/L (in the drinking water). These groups were subdivided into non-stressed and stressed (repeated-restraint stress for 40 days). During the entire treatment, chow consumption was monitored and rats were weighed monthly. Afterwards, feeding behavior was evaluated during 3-min trials in food-deprived and ad libitum fed animals and also in repeated exposures, using palatable food (Froot Loops® and Cheetos®). Chronic administration of caffeine did not affect rat chow consumption or body weight gain, but diminished the consumption of both salty (Cheetos®) and sweet (Froot Loops®) palatable food. In the repeated trial tests, stress diminished savory snack consumption in the later exposures [I.S. Racotta, J. Leblanc, D. Richard The effect of caffeine on food intake in rats: involvement of corticotropin-releasing factor and the sympatho-adrenal system. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1994, 48:887–892; S.D. Comer, M. Haney, R.W. Foltin, M.W. Fischman Effects of caffeine withdrawal on humans living in a residential laboratory. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol. 1997, 5:399–403; A. Jessen, B. Buemann, S. Toubro, I.M. Skovgaard, A. Astrup The appetite-suppressant effect of nicotine is enhanced by caffeine. Diab Ob Metab. 2005, 7:327–333; J.M. Carney Effects of caffeine, theophylline and theobromine on scheduled controlled responding in rats. Br J Pharmacol. 1982, 75:451–454] and caffeine diminished consumption of both palatable foods (savory and sweet) during the early and later exposures. Most responses to caffeine were stronger in females, and stress exposure influenced the effect. Neither chronic caffeine nor stress affected adrenal weight and plasma corticosterone levels of the rats. These observations suggest that chronic caffeine consumption may have sex-specific effects on palatable food ingestion.
Investigation of synergism in binary mixtures of sweeteners
1995, Brain Research Bulletin
The purpose of the present study was to determine the presence and degree of synergism among all binary mixtures of 14 sweeteners varying in chemical structure. A trained panel evaluated binary combinations of the following sweeteners: three sugars (fructose, glucose, sucrose), two polyhydric alcohols (mannitol, sorbitol), two diterpenoid glycosides (rebaudioside-A, stevioside), two dipeptide derivatives (alitame, aspartame), one sulfamate (sodium cyclamate), one protein (thaumatin), two N-suffonyl amides (acesulfame-K, sodium saccharin), and one dihydrochalcone (neohesperidin dihydrochalcone). Each sweetener was tested at three concentrations that were isosweet with 3%, 5%, and 7% sucrose. Two methods of analysis were performed to determine synergistic effects. In Method I, an ANOVA was performed for each intensity level to determine if the mean sweetness intensity ratings of each binary mixture were equal to nominal sweetness (i.e., additivity) or not equal to nominal sweetness (i.e., synergism or suppression). In Method II, an additional ANOVA was performed to determine if the sweetness intensity ratings of any given mixture were equal to or greater than the average of the sweetness ratings of the two pure components in that blend.
Molecular cloning of G proteins and phosphodiesterases from rat taste cells
1994, Physiology and Behavior
To identify and characterize those proteins involved in taste transduction, we cloned G proteins and phosphodiesterases from rat taste tissue. Using degenerate primers corresponding to conserved regions of G protein α subunits, the polymerase chain reaction was used to amplify and clone eight distinct cDNAs:α_i-2, α_i-3, α₁₂, α₁₄, α₈, α_t-rod, α_1-cone and α gustducin. α_i-3, α₁₄, α₈, and α_t-rod are more highly expressed in taste tissue than in the surrounding nonsensory tissue. α gustducin is only expressed in taste cells. Rod transducin had previously been found only in the rod cells of the retina, where it converts light stimulation of rhodopsin into activation of cGMP phosphodiesterase. The primary sequence of α gustducin shows striking similarities to rod transducin in the receptor interaction domain and the phosphodiesterase activation site. We propose that gustducin and transducin regulate phosphodiesterase activity in taste cells and that this may promote bitter transduction and inhibit sweet transduction. Consistent with this proposal, we cloned two types of cAMP PDE from taste tissue: dnc-1 and PDE-3.
Methyl xanthine, adenosine, and human taste responsivity
1992, Physiology and Behavior
The influences of three methyl xanthines (MX) on human taste responsivity, caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine, were examined using blind control procedures. Taste responsivity in the same subjects was determined using the matching procedure described by Schiffman (Study 1) and the whole-mouth procedure described by Sheperd (Study 2). In each study, the duration of MX pretreatment necessary to enhance taste responsivity was examined. No potentiation of overall- and taste-quality specific intensity ratings was observed for any tastant, independent of test procedure, type, and concentration of MX pretreatment, or length of MX pretreatment. Taste intensity ratings, especially for NaCl, were higher following pretreatment with water than methyl xanthine or adenosine combined with caffeine. Adenosine, added at several concentrations to caffeine pretreatments, influenced neither taste responsivity nor taste intensity ratings.
Sweeteners: State of knowledge review
1993, Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
Sweeteners are widely used in the food and pharmaceutical industry. The purpose of this paper is to review our current knowledge of sweet taste from chemical, biochemical, electrophysiological, psychophysical, and psychological points of view. The most common sweeteners likely to be used in food and pharmaceuticals will be examined in detail. First, the chemical structures of sweet compounds including saccharides, diterpene glycosides, polyols, amino acids, dipeptides, and other nonsugars will be discussed. Second, biochemical approaches to understanding sweetener receptors will be reviewed. Third, electrophysiological and behavioral approaches to understanding sweetener receptors will be discussed. Fourth, psychophysical studies in humans will be shown to be consistent with biochemical and neurophysiological data. In addition, the basic mechanisms of sweet taste revealed by psychophysical studies will be given, including the role of multiple receptor sites, hydrogen bonding, and sodium transport. Finally, the factors that affect preference for sweet taste including the psychological and physiological variables associated with sweet preference will be explored.

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^☆: This research was supported by grant NIA AG 00443 and a grant from General Foods Corporation.

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Caffeine intensities taste of certain sweeteners: Role of adenosine receptor☆

Abstract

Trends Pharmacol Sci

Pharmacol Biochem Behav

Pharmacol Biochem Behav

Physiol Behav

J Biol Chem

Blood flow regulation by adenosine in heart, brain, and skeletal muscle

Evidence for the proximity of sweet and bitter receptor sites

Nature

Adenosine inhibition of catecholamine-induced increase in force of contraction in guinea-pig atrial and ventricular heart preparations: Evidence against a cyclic AMP- and cyclic GMP dependent effect

J Pharmacol Exp Ther

The physiological activity of adenine compounds with especial reference to their action upon the mammalian heart

J Physiol (Lond)

Sweet taste receptor mechanisms