Capsaicin-sensitive A delta fibers in cat tooth pulp.

Abstract

How close a correlation there is between the conduction velocity and receptive properties of pulpal nerve fibers is still unclear. Our specific aims were to confirm whether: (1) capsaicin affects not only polymodal C fibers but A delta fibers as well, and (2) A alpha polymodal nociceptors exist in the tooth pulp. A total of 139 functional single cat tooth pulp nerve fibers was isolated for analysis, of which 21 were A beta, 37 C, and 81 A delta fibers. The A delta fibers were divided into two groups: One (n = 38) consisted of those fibers whose conduction velocities were more than 2.0 m/s both inside and outside the tooth pulp, and the other (n = 43) consisted of those fibers whose intrapulpal conduction velocities were less than 2.0 m/s, with extrapulpal conduction velocities greater than 2.0 m/s. We used 82 fibers to record the neural response following the topical application of capsaicin for 60 min at increasing concentrations (1 nM, 100 nM, 10 muM) through thin dentin. Six of 25 slow A delta, 10/20 C, and no A beta (0/11) or fast A delta (0/26) fibers responded to 1 nM or 100 nM of capsaicin. When the three concentrations of capsaicin solution were applied in turn, the electrical threshold and latency of A beta and fast A delta fibers did not change, whereas those of slow A delta and C fibers gradually increased. In 0/11 A beta, 0/26 fast A delta, 13/25 slow A delta, and 18/20 C fibers, the conduction was blocked reversibly or irreversibly following the application of 10 muM of capsaicin. The amplitude of the late component of antidromic action potential of fast A delta fibers decreased after the capsaicin application. No neural discharge could be recorded from 19 (3 A beta, 5 fast A delta, 6 slow A delta, and 5C) fibers following the application of a single high concentration of capsaicin (10 muM). A single low concentration of capsaicin (100 nM) activated only some slow-conducting fibers (0/4 A beta, 0/4 FA delta, 3/6 SA delta and 4/6 C). Response properties recorded from the remaining 18 fibers (3 A beta, 3 fast A delta, 6 slow A delta, and 6 C) were not changed following the application of the control vehicle. These results confirm that a low concentration of capsaicin has an excitatory effect on the response of slow pulpal A delta as well as C fibers, and that a high concentration of capsaicin blocks the conduction of slow A delta and C fibers as well as the terminals of fast A delta fibers in the pulp.