Anyone who’s ever had to swallow a particularly bitter pill knows it’s no picnic.
For some, the taste is such a turn-off that it can discourage them from sticking to their medication as prescribed.
But what if there was a way to mask that unpleasant taste, making medicine easier to take? Researchers from the Monell Chemical Senses Center might have found just the solution.
In their new study published in Clinical Therapeutics, the team discovered that the diabetes drug rosiglitazone could help take the edge off the bitter taste many medications leave in our mouths.
This finding is quite the revelation, as, according to lead researcher Ha Nguyen, Ph.D., there hadn’t been any prior indication that rosiglitazone had such a talent for bitter-blocking.
This discovery didn’t come about by chance. It was the result of sophisticated testing involving human taste tissue cells, thanks to a collaboration between Monell and Eurofins (formerly known as DiscoveryBiomed, Inc.).
By identifying rosiglitazone as a potential bitter blocker, the team has opened up new possibilities for improving how medications taste.
To test their findings, the researchers conducted taste tests with volunteers in both the United States and Poland.
The results were promising: many participants found medicines less bitter when a little rosiglitazone was mixed in. However, it’s important to note that the effect varied among individuals.
Senior author Danielle Reed, Ph.D., emphasized the diversity of human taste preferences. The team’s research underscores the importance of considering different populations worldwide to ensure that efforts to reduce medication bitterness are universally effective.
The study’s findings hint at the potential for using a combination of bitterness blockers to make even the most unpalatable medicines more palatable for everyone.
While rosiglitazone alone may not completely eliminate bitterness, its partial effectiveness suggests that tweaking the formula could lead to even more effective solutions.
The fact that rosiglitazone is already globally approved for diabetes treatment adds to its appeal as a bitter blocker. It’s recognized and regulated, which could streamline the process of integrating it into other medications.
Looking ahead, the researchers plan to expand their study to include participants from a wider range of backgrounds, particularly focusing on African and Asian immigrants.
This step will help ensure that any bitter-blocking strategies developed will cater to a broad spectrum of taste sensitivities across different ancestries.
With contributions from a dedicated team of scientists at Monell and the University of Gdańsk, this research marks an important step towards making medication a little easier to swallow for everyone.
The pursuit of a “zero-bitterness” standard for medicines could revolutionize how we view and adhere to our medical treatments, making a spoonful of sugar (or in this case, rosiglitazone) the medicine go down in the most delightful way.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about Vitamin D and type 2 diabetes, and to people with diabetes, some fruits are better than others.
For more information about diabetes, please see recent studies that low calorie diets may help reverse diabetes, and 5 vitamins that may prevent complication in diabetes.
The research findings can be found in Clinical Therapeutics.
Copyright © 2024 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
