抄録
Two kinds of gustometry electrogustometry (EMG) and filter paper disk (FPD method) were used for evaluation of human taste disorder frequently. In these gustometries, a sense of a subject was required. These gustometris consumed much time of examiner. The taste receptor gene expression was used for new gustometry method as evaluation methods of taste disorder. And the technique was performed in BMS (Burning mouth syndrome, glossodynia) patient. BMS is a medical disorder characterized by a burning sensation in oral cavity. However, BMS usually lacks mucosal physical abnormalities in an oral cavity and medical underlying disease, and taste disorder is found in some cases of BMS. It is thought that many cases of BMS develop it from a psychological problem such as cancer phobia. Taste receptors (T2R3, T2R8, T2R9, T2R10, T2R13, T2R16) in scrape smear specimen from foliate papillae in BMS patient was detected by RT-PCR method. BMS patient appealed for a pain of a tongue severe at first. And the evaluation of EMG and FPD method showed severe taste disorder. 12 weeks later, BMS patient did not appeal for a pain of a tongue and the evaluation of EMG and FPD method showed an approximately normal level. In scrape smear specimen of BMS patient, five kinds of taste receptors (T2R9, T2R10, T2R13, T2R16) were detected. These results suggest that evaluation of taste receptor expression in scrape smear is useful for a diagnosis of taste disorder. [J Physiol Sci. 2007;57 Suppl:S234]
