PURPOSE OF REVIEW Numerous studies have pointed to profound nongustatory roles of tastants and the corresponding taste receptors expressed in the alimentary canal in the modulation of digestive and metabolic functions. Already in early reports, the intriguing possibility to use tastants as drug-like effectors for the treatment of metabolic diseases was raised. With this review, focusing on the most recent literature, we intend to question how close we meanwhile came to the initial promise - the use of tastants as medicines. RECENT FINDINGS Although the enormous complexity and experimental variability of studies investigating the effects of tastants on physiological functions still has not revealed a common fundament from which subsequent therapeutic measures could be designed, more and more evidence is mounting on an involvement of taste receptors and taste signaling molecules in the maintenance and fine regulation of gastrointestinal functions and immunity. SUMMARY Although the initial goal - using tastants to treat metabolic disorders - has, by far, not been reached, numerous promising findings suggest that dietary interventions could be devised to support conventional therapies in the future.

中文翻译：

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胃肠道味觉受体：促味剂可以变成药物吗？

审查的目的大量研究指出，在消化道和代谢功能的调节中，味觉和消化道中表达的相应味觉受体具有深远的非味觉作用。早在早期的报道中，就已经提出了使用促味剂作为药物样效应物来治疗代谢疾病的有趣可能性。这篇综述着眼于最新文献，我们打算质疑我们同时距离最初的承诺-使用促味剂作为药物有多近。最新发现尽管研究促味剂对生理功能影响的研究的巨大复杂性和实验变异性仍未揭示出可以设计后续治疗措施的共同基础，越来越多的证据表明，味觉受体和味觉信号分子参与了胃肠功能和免疫的维持和精细调节。总结尽管到目前为止尚未达到最初的目标-使用促味剂治疗代谢紊乱-但仍有许多有希望的发现表明，饮食干预措施可以在将来设计以支持传统疗法。