Sweet taste receptor expression and function in the uterus Version 1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Sweet taste receptor expression and function in the uterus
IRAS ID
137639
Contact name
Douglas Tincello - Adress all letters to him
Contact email
Research summary
The sensation of sweet taste is detected by certain proteins, called sweet taste receptors, which are present in the tongue and respond to a wide range of sweet tasting substances including sugars, and artificial sweeteners such as saccharine and aspartame. In our laboratory we have been working on diseases of the bladder and have found that these receptors are present in the bladder, although their normal role is uncertain. Other scientists have also found these receptors in the human stomach, gut and pancreas suggesting that they may have other roles as well as detecting sweet taste.
Recently scientists discovered that drinking sweetened soft drinks increased the risk of premature birth and so we just completed a small study to see whether sweet taste receptors exist in the womb or womb lining. Interestingly, we have found that they are in the womb, both in the muscle and the womb lining. There appears to be some differences in how much receptor is present at different times of the menstrual cycle (time of the month), and in pregnant or non-pregnant womb tissue.
This project described here will examine the differences in the amount of taste receptor present in the womb and womb lining at different times of the menstrual cycle in a larger number of samples, and after carefully checking the timing of the menstrual cycle for each sample. This will allow us to find out exactly how the amount of protein changes during the month, and whether different areas of the womb have different amounts of receptor. This work will set the scene for further research to find out what the receptor is doing in the womb and whether it has a job in helping pregnancy occur, or preventing miscarriage. So although it is very early days, in the long run this research may throw some light on problems with fertility or miscarriage.REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/EM/0342
Date of REC Opinion
4 Nov 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion