On the effects of gymnemic acid in the hamster and rat

The gustatory activity of the chorda tympani proper nerve has been recorded before and after the application of gymnemic acid to the tongue of hamster and rat. Concentrations of pure gymnemic acid ranging from 1 mg/ml to 10 mg/ml have been used. In the hamster gymnemic acid suppressed the response to solutions of sucrose especially, but it also caused, at higher concentrations, a general suppression of the tast response. The depression caused in the response to sucrose was directly related to the strength of the gymnemic acid and inversely to that of the sucrose solution. In the rat a suppression of the response to saccharin was obtained but no suppression of the taste response to sucrose by gymnemic acid was observed.