Cyclophosphamide (CYP), a commonly prescribed chemotherapy drug, has multiple 
adverse side effects including alteration of taste. The effects on taste are a 
cause of concern for patients as changes in taste are often associated with loss 
of appetite, malnutrition, poor recovery and reduced quality of life. Amifostine 
is a cytoprotective agent that was previously shown to be effective in 
preventing chemotherapy-induced mucositis and nephrotoxicity. Here we determined 
its ability to protect against chemotherapy-induced damage to taste buds using a 
mouse model of CYP injury. We conducted detection threshold tests to measure 
changes in sucrose taste sensitivity and found that administration of amifostine 
30 mins prior to CYP injection protected against CYP-induced loss in taste 
sensitivity. Morphological studies showed that pre-treatment with amifostine 
prevented CYP-induced reduction in the number of fungiform taste papillae and 
increased the number of taste buds. Immunohistochemical assays for markers of 
the cell cycle showed that amifostine administration prevented CYP-induced 
inhibition of cell proliferation and also protected against loss of mature taste 
cells after CYP exposure. Our results indicate that treatment of cancer patients 
with amifostine prior to chemotherapy may improve their sensitivity for taste 
stimuli and protect the taste system from the detrimental effects of 
chemotherapy.