PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - W Jakinovich, Jr
TI  - Stimulation of the gerbil's gustatory receptors by saccharin
AID  - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.02-01-00049.1982
DP  - 1982 Jan 01
TA  - The Journal of Neuroscience
PG  - 49--56
VI  - 2
IP  - 1
4099  - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/2/1/49.short
4100  - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/2/1/49.full
SO  - J. Neurosci.1982 Jan 01; 2
AB  - The gustatory responses from the chorda tympani nerve of the Mongolian gerbil, Meriones unguiculatus, were tested with saccharin and some closely related compounds. Only two compounds, saccharin and 6- chlorosaccharin, stimulated the gerbil's taste receptors to any degree and in the same order in which they are sweet to man, saccharin greater than 5-chlorosaccharin. Those compounds which are tasteless to man did not stimulate and include N-methyl saccharin, phthalimide, and O- sulfobenzoic acid. These nonstimulating derivatives did not inhibit the saccharin electrophysiological response. The saccharin taste response pH optimum is from 5 to 8. At pH 7 and 8, saccharin is fully ionized and is binding to the receptor site by an anionic mechanism. Kinetic plots of the taste response at pH 7 indicate that saccharin is forming 1:1 complexes with it. In addition, mixtures of saccharin and sucrose stimulate in such a manner as to suggest that they are interacting at different receptor sites.