Voltage-gated sodium channels confer excitability to human odontoblasts: possible role in tooth pain transmission.

Odontoblasts are responsible for the dentin formation. They are suspected to play a role in tooth pain transmission as sensor cells because of their close relationship with nerve, but this role has never been evidenced. We demonstrate here that human odontoblasts in vitro produce voltage-gated tetrodotoxin-sensitive Na(+) currents in response to depolarization under voltage clamp conditions and are able to generate action potentials. Odontoblasts express neuronal isoforms of alpha2 and beta2 subunits of sodium channels. Co-cultures of odontoblasts with trigeminal neurons indicate a clustering of alpha2 and beta2 sodium channel subunits and, at the sites of cell-cell contact, a co-localization of odontoblasts beta2 subunits with peripherin. In vivo, sodium channels are expressed in odontoblasts. Ankyrin(G) and beta2 co-localize, suggesting a link for signal transduction between axons and odontoblasts. Evidence for excitable properties of odontoblasts and clustering of key molecules at the site of odontoblast-nerve contact strongly suggest that odontoblasts may operate as sensor cells that initiate tooth pain transmission.