Lai J, Wu Q, Gao B, Cai W, Wang Y
Stomatology Hospital, School of Stomatology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Research of Zhejiang Province, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Devices of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
J Dent Res. 2025 Jul;104(8):828-839. doi: 10.1177/00220345251329376. Epub 2025 May 12.
The oral system is a highly complex mechanosensory structure that continuously adapts to changes in mechanical stimuli, exerting mechanical forces on cells and tissues. Understanding how these forces are converted into biochemical signals and how they mediate gene expression and cellular activities has been a significant focus in dentistry. Piezo channels, including Piezo1 and Piezo2, are mechanically activated cation channels characterized by an extracellular "cap" domain and 3 peripheral mechanosensitive blades. Recent research has demonstrated that mechanical forces applied to tissues can induce deformation of cell membranes, leading to conformational changes in Piezo channels that facilitate cation influx, thereby regulating cellular activities. The influx of Ca, the most discussed outcome of Piezo channel activation, initiates diverse signaling pathways that regulate dentin hypersensitivity, alveolar bone remodeling, and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) osteoarthritis. The chemical inhibition of Piezo channels has been shown to alleviate dentinal hypersensitivity, reduce the rate of orthodontic tooth movement, and slow the progression of TMJ osteoarthritis in rat models. Mice deficient in piezo channels exhibit impaired reactive dentin formation, reduced alveolar bone volume, and developmental deformities of the jawbone. Considering their roles in decoding the functional effects of mechanical forces, this review summarizes the involvement of Piezo channels in dentistry, organized by anatomical sites, to provide comprehensive knowledge of Piezo channels and their mediated signal crosstalk, which offers promising therapeutic prospects for the treatment of various force-related oral diseases.
口腔系统是一个高度复杂的机械感觉结构，它不断适应机械刺激的变化，对细胞和组织施加机械力。了解这些力如何转化为生化信号以及它们如何介导基因表达和细胞活动一直是牙科领域的一个重要研究重点。压电通道，包括Piezo1和Piezo2，是机械激活的阳离子通道，其特征在于细胞外“帽”结构域和3个外周机械敏感叶片。最近的研究表明，施加于组织的机械力可诱导细胞膜变形，导致压电通道构象变化，促进阳离子内流，从而调节细胞活动。钙离子内流是压电通道激活最受关注的结果，它启动了多种信号通路，调节牙本质过敏、牙槽骨重塑和颞下颌关节（TMJ）骨关节炎。在大鼠模型中，对压电通道的化学抑制已被证明可减轻牙本质过敏、降低正畸牙齿移动速率并减缓TMJ骨关节炎的进展。缺乏压电通道的小鼠表现出反应性牙本质形成受损、牙槽骨体积减少和颌骨发育畸形。鉴于它们在解读机械力功能效应中的作用，本综述按解剖部位总结了压电通道在牙科中的作用，以提供关于压电通道及其介导的信号串扰的全面知识，这为治疗各种与力相关的口腔疾病提供了有前景的治疗前景。
