title: VR1-, VRL-1- and P2X3 receptor-immunoreactive innervation of the rat temporomandibular joint.
abstract: Immunohistochemistry for vanilloid receptor subtype 1 (VR1), vanilloid receptor 1-like receptor (VRL-1) and P2X3 receptor was performed in the rat temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Blood vessels in the articular disk and capsule, the synovial membrane and the fibrous tissue around the condylar process were innervated by VR1- or P2X3 receptor-immunoreactive (ir) nerve fibers. However, VRL-1-immunoreactivity (ir) could not be detected in the TMJ. Retrograde tracing and immunohistochemical methods revealed that 25%, 41% and 52% of TMJ neurons in the trigeminal ganglion (TG) exhibited VR1-, VRL-1- and P2X3 receptor-ir, respectively. VR1-ir TMJ neurons were mostly small to medium-sized, whereas VRL-1- and P2X3 receptor-ir TMJ neurons were predominantly medium-sized to large. In addition, 73%, 28% and 44% of VR1-, VRL-1- and P2X3 receptor-ir TMJ neurons, respectively, coexpressed calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-ir. The present study suggests that the TMJ has abundant nociceptors which respond to vanilloid compounds, protons, heat and extracellular ATP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Okayama 700-8525, Japan. hiroichi@md.okayama-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ichikawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukunaga
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takano-Yamamoto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sugimoto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide / Q000378:metabolism; D002452:Cell Count / Q000379:methods; D048429:Cell Size / Q000502:physiology; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D007473:Ion Channels; D008297:Male; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011955:Receptors, Drug / Q000378:metabolism*; D018048:Receptors, Purinergic P2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D058477:Receptors, Purinergic P2X3; D013266:Stilbamidines / Q000378:metabolism; D050916:TRPV Cation Channels; D013704:Temporomandibular Joint / Q000294:innervation* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C049774:2-hydroxy-4,4'-diamidinostilbene, methanesulfonate salt; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D007473:Ion Channels; C546410:P2rx3 protein, rat; D011955:Receptors, Drug; D018048:Receptors, Purinergic P2; D058477:Receptors, Purinergic P2X3; D013266:Stilbamidines; D050916:TRPV Cation Channels; C476722:Trpv2 protein, rat; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide