CD36 and GPR120 mediated orogustatory perception of dietary lipids and its physiological implication in the pygmy mouse Mus booduga

Abstract Fat taste perception has long been concerned in the regulation of dietary fat intake. Substantial experimental evidence defends fat as a sixth taste modality, but its allied peripheral mechanisms are not yet well established. The present study aimed to analyse the diet‐induced changes in fat taste perception and its associated physiological variations in Mus booduga . Four groups of animals were used for the present study and were fed any one of the following diet; normal diet (10% fat), low‐fat diet (4% fat), high‐fat diet (36% fat), or high‐fat diet (HFD) (36% fat) + rapeseed oil (HFRDO) (14%) for 9 weeks. The animals were then subjected to metabolic tolerance, fat preference, and conditioned taste aversion studies. Diet‐induced alterations in the expression of genes associated with lipogenesis, inflammation, and fat taste ( CD36 and GPR120 ) were analysed. Capacitative calcium signalling induced by both linoleic acid and grifolic acid in taste bud cells (TBCs) was also analysed. In result, both the HFD and HFDRO groups revealed deterioration in glucose homoeostasis and displayed decreased preference scores for fatty acids, which are associated with lower CD36 expression and increased GPR120 expression in TBCs. Furthermore, change in [Ca 2+ ]i induced by LA was also compromised in CD36 positive TBCs along with elevated systemic inflammatory and lipidemic responses in both these obese groups. Overall, for the first time, our results support that chronic HFD feeding alters the CD36 and GPR120 mediated fat taste perception in M. booduga .