• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.514-521
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• 2007

The purinoreceptor, $P2X_3$ is a ligand-gated cation channel activated by extracellular ATP. It has been reported that ATP can be released during inflammation and tissue damage, which in turn may activate $P2X_3$ receptors to initiate nociceptive signals. However, little is known about the contribution of $P2X_3$ to the dental pain during pulpal inflammation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of $P2X_3$ and its colocalization with TRPV1 to understand the mechanism of pain transmission through $P2X_3$ in the human dental pulp with double labeling immunofluorescence method. In the human dental pulp, intense $P2X_3$ immunoreactiyity was observed throughout the coronal and radicular pulp. Of all $P2X_3$-positive fibers examined, 79.4% coexpressed TRPV1. This result suggests that $P2X_3$ along with TRPV1 may be involved in the transmission of pain and potentiation of noxious stimuli during pulpal inflammation.