Contribution of Chloride to Salty Taste in Gustatory Sensation

Cl^– is expected to play a role in salty taste perception as important as that of Na⁺. However, the specific mechanisms and contributions of Cl^– to salty taste perception are not well understood. To investigate the contribution of Cl^– to salty taste perception, we conducted sensory evaluations to assess the taste characteristics of chloride and sodium salts. Additionally, to examine whether a known salty taste receptor is involved in these perceptions, we evaluated their saltiness intensity when the Na⁺ channel inhibitor amiloride was added. Chloride salts that do not contain Na⁺, such as KCl and NH₄Cl, exhibited saltiness intensities comparable to that of NaCl. When amiloride was added, the saltiness intensities of sodium salts decreased significantly, whereas those of chloride salts did not decrease. These findings suggest that a Cl^–-dependent mechanism may play a crucial role in human salty taste sensation.