The Effects of Capsaicin on Taste Bud Volume in Rats

Advisor Information

Suzanne Sollars

Location

Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library

Presentation Type

Poster

Start Date

7-3-2014 1:00 PM

End Date

7-3-2014 4:00 PM

Abstract

Capsaicin is a pain stimulating neurotoxin found in hot peppers that causes a burning sensation when it comes into contact with pain receptors on the tongue. It is commonly thought that as an individual eats spicy foods, their tolerance increases and they can intake spicier foods. An experiment was designed to find out why this tolerance develops. The experiment exposed rats to a capsaicin concentration that was increased every five days to see if a tolerance was formed. Female Sprague-Daley rats (n=3) were started at a concentration of 1.5 ppm at 40 days of age and the concentration was increase by 1.5 ppm every 5 days. The capsaicin solution included capsaicin dissolved in ethanol and mixed with sucrose. We were also interested in the effects that capsaicin would have on taste buds, so a control group (n=3) was exposed to a solution of sucrose dissolved in distilled water. The experiment was ended after 67 days of solution exposure at a capsaicin concentration of 19.5 ppm. The experimental group formed a tolerance for capsaicin throughout the experiment, as evidenced by increased concentration consumption. Taste bud volumes were measured post-mortem and compared between groups. There was no significant difference between the taste bud volume of rats exposed to the capsaicin solution and the taste bud volume of rats exposed to the sucrose only solution. Capsaicin does appear to alter the taste bud volume. This result suggests that the development of a capsaicin tolerance is unrelated to changes in taste bud volume.

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Mar 7th, 1:00 PM Mar 7th, 4:00 PM

The Effects of Capsaicin on Taste Bud Volume in Rats

Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library

Capsaicin is a pain stimulating neurotoxin found in hot peppers that causes a burning sensation when it comes into contact with pain receptors on the tongue. It is commonly thought that as an individual eats spicy foods, their tolerance increases and they can intake spicier foods. An experiment was designed to find out why this tolerance develops. The experiment exposed rats to a capsaicin concentration that was increased every five days to see if a tolerance was formed. Female Sprague-Daley rats (n=3) were started at a concentration of 1.5 ppm at 40 days of age and the concentration was increase by 1.5 ppm every 5 days. The capsaicin solution included capsaicin dissolved in ethanol and mixed with sucrose. We were also interested in the effects that capsaicin would have on taste buds, so a control group (n=3) was exposed to a solution of sucrose dissolved in distilled water. The experiment was ended after 67 days of solution exposure at a capsaicin concentration of 19.5 ppm. The experimental group formed a tolerance for capsaicin throughout the experiment, as evidenced by increased concentration consumption. Taste bud volumes were measured post-mortem and compared between groups. There was no significant difference between the taste bud volume of rats exposed to the capsaicin solution and the taste bud volume of rats exposed to the sucrose only solution. Capsaicin does appear to alter the taste bud volume. This result suggests that the development of a capsaicin tolerance is unrelated to changes in taste bud volume.