RESUMO
Bitter taste receptors (BTRs) belong to the G protein-coupled receptors, which included 25 subtypes. BTRs, which were distributed in the oral cavity, mediated the bitter taste of mammalian. Furthermore, BTRs were also existed in the extra-oral digestive system such as the stomach and intestine to influence the digestion, absorption and energy regulation. It also can relax airway smooth muscles in the respiratory system and decrease blood pressure in the cardiovascular system. While being strikingly conformed to the latest advancements of BTRs, the efficacy of bitter taste property of Chinese materia medica (CMM) such as“excretion”,“dryness” and“strengthening” have been used in ancient theories of property and flavor in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for thousands of years in the treatment of multisystem diseases such as digestive, endocrine, respiratory and cardiovascular system. Therefore, applying modern techniques and new methods in the interpretation of the scientific connotation of bitter taste property of CMM based on BTRs should be a feasible way and a new research pattern. It played an important role in the enriching of the property theory in CMM, as well as enhancing the modernization and objectivization of CMM.