Neuropeptide Y-immunoreactive primary afferents in the dental pulp and periodontal ligament following nerve injury to the inferior alveolar nerve in the rat.

The distribution of neuropeptide Y (NPY)-immunoreactive (IR) primary afferents in the dental pulp and periodontal ligament of the rat mandible were examined following combined chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) and sympathectomy of the superior cervical ganglion (SCG). NPY-IR nerve fibers were observed around the blood vessels in the trigeminal ganglion, dental pulp and periodontal ligament in normal animals. Following combined CCI of the IAN and sympathectomy of SCG (SCGx), perivascular NPY-IR nerve fibers originating from SCG disappeared completely, but many NPY-IR nerve fibers coming from the trigeminal ganglion appeared in the dental pulp and periodontal ligament. In the molar dental pulp, thick NPY-IR nerve fibers were observed within the nerve bundle, and some thin NPY-IR nerve fibers ran towards the odontoblast layer; very few NPY-IR nerve fibers were observed in the incisor pulp. In the periodontal ligament of molar, thick NPY-IR nerve fibers appeared at the alveolar part following combined CCI of IAN and SCGx. In the lingual portion of the periodontal ligament of the incisor, many thick NPY-IR nerve fibers were observed. These occasionally showed a tree-like appearance, resembling immature Ruffini endings; slowly adapting mechanoreceptors. The present results indicate that periodontal mechanoreceptors are among the main targets of injury-evoked NPY following IAN injury.