Bitter taste receptors (TAS2R) are expressed in many non-sensor tissues including skeletal muscles but their function remains unexplored. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of TAS2R in rat abdominal skeletal muscles contractions using denatonium, a TAS2R agonist. Low concentration of denatonium (0.01 mmol/l) caused a significant decrease of amplitudes of the electrical field stimulation (EFS)-induced contractions in abdominal skeletal muscles preparations in vitro. This inhibitory effect was significantly reduced when the preparations were pre-incubated with gentamicin (0.02 mmol/l) used as a non-specific inhibitor of IP3 formation or with BaCl(2) (0.03 mmol/l) applied to block the inward-rectifier potassium current. All experiments were performed in the presence of pipecuronium in order to block the nerve stimulation of the contractions. The data obtained suggest that denatonium decreases the force of rat abdominal muscles contractions mainly via activation of TAS2R, phosphatidylinositol 4,5-biphosphate and its downstream signal metabolites.

• MeSH
• Abdominal Muscles drug effects   physiology   MeSH
• Taste drug effects   physiology   MeSH
• Taste Receptors, Type 2 MeSH
• Gentamicins pharmacology   MeSH
• Rats MeSH
• Organ Culture Techniques MeSH
• Rats, Wistar MeSH
• Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled antagonists & inhibitors   physiology   MeSH
• Muscle Contraction drug effects   physiology   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Rats MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Taste Receptors, Type 2 MeSH
• Gentamicins MeSH
• Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled MeSH