Reception mechanism for irritation sensation in the mouth or nasal cavity

KOMAI Michio, INOUE Takashi, OSADA Kazumi

doi:10.2171/jao.37.408

The common chemical sense is best exemplified by nerve fibers in the trigeminal (fifth cranial) nerve innervating the mucosa and skin of the mouth, nose, and eyes. The trigeminal nerve consists of three main branches : ophthalmic, maxillary, and mandibular divisions. In the oral cavity, capsaicin and CO₂ are famous compounds that can cause irritation through these nerve fiber endings. A variety of reports indicate that carbonic anhydrase activity is necessary for trigeminal neural responses to carbonated solutions. Contribution of carbonic anhydrase, a zinc-metallo-enzyme, to the normal CO₂-tingling sensation was confirmed by zinc-deficient animal studies.<BR>TRP channels are the vanguard of our sensory systems, responding to temperature, touch, pain,osmolarity, pheromones, taste and other stimuli. But their role is much broader than classical sensory transduction. For example, the capsaicin receptor is a heat-activated ion channel in the pain pathway. TRP channels were briefly reviewed including the reception of irritating volatile organic compounds (VOCs), that were analyzed by calcium fluorimetry for the trigeminal ganglion neurons.<BR>Finally, the interaction between chemoreceptive modalities for taste or odor and irritation was reviewed. Earlier studies indicated that some neuropeptides found in trigeminal nerves can affect the activity of taste receptor cells or chorda tympani nerve responses. These results suggest that oral trigeminal stimulation may modify, at the peripheral level, the detection of at least some taste stimuli, as well as olfactory sensation.

Reception mechanism for irritation sensation in the mouth or nasal cavity

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