Regulation of taste acuity by thiols and metal ions

The administration of thiol-containing drugs decreases taste acuity in man and animals. Copper (II) and zine (II) administration returns taste acuity to normal levels. The results suggest that (1) thiols and metals are in dynamic equilibrium in the metabolic net, (2) regulation of taste acuity occurs through changes which thiols and/or metals bring about in the conformation of a protein which lines the pore of the taste receptor and its membrane, and (3) thiols normally play an inhibitory role in taste.