Association of TAS2R38 Haplotypes and Menthol Cigarette Preference in an African American Cohort

In a recent publication in Nicotine & Tobacco Research, Oncken et al.<a href=”#CIT0001″ class=”reflinks”>1</a> examined 323 pregnant female Caucasian cigarette smokers, including menthol and nonmenthol users, and genotyped three TAS2R38 bitter taste receptor gene polymorphisms (rs713598, rs1726866, and rs10246939). These polymorphisms specify whether an individual is a taster (associated with the PAV haplotype) or a nontaster (associated with the AVI haplotype) for a variety of bitter compounds, including the well-known phenylthiocarbamide and propylthiouracil.<a href=”#CIT0002″ class=”reflinks”>2–3</a> The rationale behind this study was to test whether variations in the well-studied TAS2R38 bitter taste receptor gene could contribute to the preference of smokers for menthol cigarettes, because menthol could mask the bitter taste of nicotine or other components of cigarette smoke. Oncken et al. reported the frequency of the PAV taster haplotype to be greater in menthol smokers than in nonmenthol smokers in both non-Hispanic (54% vs. 30%, respectively, p < 0.001) and Hispanic (53% vs. 25%, respectively, p = 0.016) women, confirming this initial hypothesis.