![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Exp Neurobiol 2021; 30(5): 329-340
Published online October 31, 2021
https://doi.org/10.5607/en21018
© The Korean Society for Brain and Neural Sciences
Pa Reum Lee†, Jin-Hee Lee†, Ji Min Park and Seog Bae Oh*
Department of Neurobiology and Physiology, School of Dentistry and Dental Research Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul 03080, Korea
Correspondence to: *To whom correspondence should be addressed.
TEL: 82-2-740-8656, FAX: 82-2-762-5107
e-mail: odolbae@snu.ac.kr
†These authors contributed equally to this work.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Pulpitis (toothache) is a painful inflammation of the dental pulp and is a prevalent problem throughout the world. This pulpal inflammation occurs in the cells inside the dental pulp, which have host defense mechanisms to combat oral microorganisms invading the pulp space of exposed teeth. This innate immunity has been well studied, with a focus on Toll-like receptors (TLRs). The function of TLR4, activated by Gram-negative bacteria, has been demonstrated in trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons for dental pain. Although Gram-positive bacteria predominate in the teeth of patients with caries and pulpitis, the role of TLR2, which is activated by Gram-positive bacteria, is poorly understood in dental primary afferent (DPA) neurons that densely innervate the dental pulp. Using Fura-2 based Ca2+ imaging, we observed reproducible intracellular Ca2+ responses induced by Pam3CSK4 and Pam2CSK4 (TLR2-specific agonists) in TG neurons of adult wild-type (WT) mice. The response was completely abolished in TLR2 knock-out (KO) mice. Single-cell RT-PCR detected
Keywords: Neurobiology, Dental pulp exposure, Pulpitis, Toll-like receptors, Trigeminal nerve