Theophylline increases saliva sonic hedgehog and improves taste dysfunction

•Sonic hedgehog is a chemical moiety which stimulates taste bud growth.•Saliva sonic hedgehog is diminished in patients with taste dysfunction.•Theophylline treatment increases saliva sonic hedgehog.•Theophylline improves patient taste dysfunction.•Gustometry measures improved taste dysfunction after theophylline treatment.

ObjectiveTo determine changes in saliva sonic hedgehog (Shh) and in taste dysfunction before and after oral theophylline treatment.DesignShh was measured in parotid saliva of both normal subjects and patients with taste dysfunction of multiple etiologies by use of a sensitive spectrophotometric ELISA assay. Taste dysfunction was defined clinically by both subjective inhibition of taste function (including acuity loss) and impaired gustometry.ResultsTheophylline treatment increased patient saliva Shh and improved taste dysfunction both subjectively and by gustometry.ConclusionsBy use of these systematic clinical measurements theophylline can be demonstrated to increase saliva Shh and improve taste dysfunction. These results are consistent with saliva Shh acting as a taste bud growth factor which stimulates stem cells of taste buds to initiate development and perpetuation of taste bud receptors. Measurements of saliva Shh provide an important marker for the presence of taste dysfunction and in the improvement by theophylline treatment.