Effects of aging on the human taste system

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Pharmacology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Taste perception declines with age, often worsened by medical conditions and treatments.
• Medications are a major, often overlooked cause of taste dysfunction in the elderly.
• Drug-drug interactions can increase systemic drug exposure, impacting taste.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the role of drug-drug interactions in age-related taste disorders.
• To explain the pharmacokinetic mechanisms underlying medication-induced taste dysfunction.
• To underscore the clinical significance of taste alterations in older populations.

Main Methods:

• Literature review focusing on pharmacokinetic interactions and taste physiology.
• Analysis of mechanisms involving P-glycoprotein and cytochrome P450 pathways.
• Examination of how supratherapeutic drug concentrations affect taste cells.

Main Results:

• Drug-drug interactions elevate plasma drug concentrations by inhibiting P-glycoprotein and/or CYP450.
• Increased drug levels can lead to intravascular taste, altered taste cell biochemistry, and modified taste pathways.
• These effects contribute significantly to taste losses and distortions in the elderly.

Conclusions:

• Drug-drug interactions are a critical, underappreciated factor in geriatric taste disorders.
• Understanding these interactions is key to managing taste dysfunction in older patients.
• Pharmacokinetic modulation of drug availability directly impacts gustatory function.