Alba Elda, García-Mesa Yolanda, Cobo Ramón, Cuendias Patricia, Martín-Cruces José, Suazo Iván, Martínez-Barbero Graciela, Vega José A, García-Suárez Olivia, Cobo Teresa
Instituto de Neurociencias Vithas, 28010 Madrid, Spain.
Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
Biomolecules. 2025 Mar 7;15(3):386. doi: 10.3390/biom15030386.
The carotid sinus and the carotid body are major peripheral chemo- and baro(mechano)receptors that sense changes in arterial wall pressure and in oxygen, carbon dioxide, and pH in arterial blood. Recently, it was demonstrated that the PIEZO1 and PIEZO2 mechanoreceptor/mechanotransducers are responsible for the baroreflex in the murine aortic arch (aortic sinus). Furthermore, some experimental evidence suggests that the carotid body could participate in mechanosensing. In this study, we used immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence in conjunction with laser confocal microscopy to study the distribution of PIEZO1 and PIEZO2 in the human carotid sinus and carotid body as well as in the petrosal ganglion of the glossopharyngeal nerve and the superior cervical sympathetic ganglion. PIEZO1 and PIEZO2 were detected in different morphotypes of sensory nerve formations in the walls of the carotid sinus and carotid artery walls. In the carotid body, PIEZO1 was present in a small population of type I glomus cells and absent in nerves, whereas PIEZO2 was present in both clusters of type I glomus cells and nerves. The most prominent expression of PIEZO1 and PIEZO2 in the carotid body was found in type II glomus cells. On the other hand, in the petrosal ganglion, around 25% of neurons were PIEZO1-positive, and around 85% were PIEZO2-positive; regarding the superior cervical sympathetic ganglion, around 71% and 86% displayed PIEZO1 and PIEZO2, respectively. The results of this study suggest that PIEZO1 and PIEZO2 could be involved in the detection and/or mechanotransduction of the human carotid sinus, whereas the role of the carotid body is more doubtful since PIEZO1 and PIEZO2 were only detected in some nerves and PIEZO2 was present in a small population of type I glomus cells, with PIEZO1 being absent in these cells. However, since immunoreactivity for PIEZO2 was detected in type II glomus cells, researchers should investigate whether these cells play a role in the detection of mechanical stimuli and/or participate in mechanotransduction.
颈动脉窦和颈动脉体是主要的外周化学感受器和压力（机械）感受器，可感知动脉壁压力以及动脉血中氧气、二氧化碳和pH值的变化。最近，有研究表明，PIEZO1和PIEZO2机械感受器/机械转导蛋白负责小鼠主动脉弓（主动脉窦）中的压力反射。此外，一些实验证据表明，颈动脉体可能参与机械传感。在本研究中，我们结合激光共聚焦显微镜，使用免疫组织化学和免疫荧光技术，研究PIEZO1和PIEZO2在人颈动脉窦、颈动脉体以及舌咽神经的岩神经节和颈上神经节中的分布。在颈动脉窦壁和颈动脉壁的不同形态类型的感觉神经结构中检测到了PIEZO1和PIEZO2。在颈动脉体中，PIEZO1存在于一小部分I型球细胞中，神经中不存在，而PIEZO2在I型球细胞簇和神经中均有存在。在颈动脉体中，PIEZO1和PIEZO2最显著的表达见于II型球细胞。另一方面，在岩神经节中，约25%的神经元PIEZO1呈阳性，约85%的神经元PIEZO2呈阳性；关于颈上神经节，分别约71%和86%的神经元显示PIEZO1和PIEZO2。本研究结果表明，PIEZO1和PIEZO2可能参与人颈动脉窦的检测和/或机械转导，而颈动脉体的作用更值得怀疑，因为PIEZO1和PIEZO2仅在一些神经中检测到，且PIEZO2仅存在于一小部分I型球细胞中，这些细胞中不存在PIEZO1。然而，由于在II型球细胞中检测到了PIEZO2的免疫反应性，研究人员应研究这些细胞是否在机械刺激检测中发挥作用和/或参与机械转导。
