ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ

A research team from the Department of Bioscience, Faculty of Life Sciences, Okayama University of Science, has made a discovery: bitter taste receptors are present inside cancer cells and play a crucial role in pumping anticancer drugs out of the cell—ultimately contributing to the development of multidrug resistance (MDR).

This is the first discovery of its kind in the world. The ancient saying, "Good medicine tastes bitter," may soon find new scientific relevance in modern molecular biology.

The findings were in the journal Scientific Reports.

Humans detect bitterness when harmful substances enter the mouth. This happens because bitter taste receptors located in the taste cells of the tongue sense such compounds and trigger an avoidance response that prevents toxins from being swallowed.

Last year, the same research group discovered that identical bitter taste receptors are also present in skin keratinocytes, where they detect toxic substances that penetrate the skin and activate mechanisms that expel them, thereby protecting the body from harm.

In their latest study, the team revealed that the same mechanism operates in cancer cells, such as breast and lung cancer cells. The bitter taste receptors inside these cells detect anticancer drugs and activate a "drug efflux pump" that prevents the drugs from accumulating inside the cell, thereby promoting drug resistance.

Within cancer cells, a variety of bitter taste receptors lie in wait, capable of recognizing numerous anticancer drugs. Once a drug enters the cell, these receptors are activated, triggering the efflux pumps that transport the drug out of the cell.

However, the researchers believe that this mechanism can be reversed. By using specific blockers that inhibit bitter taste receptors, the drug-sensing pathway could be disrupted, potentially preventing the development of resistance.

Frequent chemotherapy treatments often lead to drug resistance, posing a serious problem in clinical oncology. This study suggests that co-administration of bitter taste receptor blockers with anticancer drugs may offer a solution to overcoming this issue.

While a variety of treatments—including immunotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery—are used to combat cancer, the researchers hope this discovery will help advance chemotherapy into a new stage of innovation and effectiveness.