Taste loss and recovery following cancer drug treatment

Researchers report that mice treated with the anticancer drug sonidegib, a hedgehog pathway inhibitor, lost taste buds and nerve responses to lingual chemical stimulation during 36 days of treatment and exhibited reduced proliferation and differentiation of taste bud progenitor cells, but showed significant recovery of taste buds and complete restoration of nerve responses to taste stimuli within 14 days of discontinuing treatment.

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Article #17-12881: "Recovery of taste organs and sensory function after severe loss from Hedgehog/Smoothened inhibition with cancer drug sonidegib," by Archana Kumari et al.

MEDIA CONTACT: Charlotte M. Mistretta, University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, MI; tel: 734 647-3911; e-mail: <chmist@umich.edu>