A Cell Co-Culture Taste Sensor Using Different Proportions of Caco-2 and SH-SY5Y Cells for Bitterness Detection

Bitter taste receptors (T2Rs) are involved in bitter taste perception, which is one of the five basic taste modalities in mammals. In this study, a cell co-culture taste sensor using different proportions of Caco-2 cells and SH-SY5Y cells was proposed. Caco-2 cells, which endogenously expressed the human T2R38 receptor, and SH-SY5Y cells, which endogenously expressed the human T2R16 receptor, were co-cultured. Using Caco-2 cells and SH-SY5Y cells at a constant total concentration of 40 K/mL, we designed seven mixtures with [Caco-2]/([Caco-2] + [SH-SY5Y]) ratios of 0, 20, 40, 50, 60, 80, and 100%. These mixtures were then seeded on the 16 E-plates of the electric cell-substrate impedance sensor (ECIS) for bitterness detection. Theoretically, after T2R38 ligands activation, continuous evolution profiles (CEP), with [Caco-2]/([Caco-2] + [SH-SY5Y]) ratios as the x-axis and Delta CI (Max) as the y-axis, would exhibit positive correlation property. After T2R16 ligands activation, the CEP would show negative correlation property. However, when stimulated with compounds that could activate both T2R16 and T2R38, it would show different response patterns.