Trigeminal nerve as mixed nerve mainly conducts the feeling coming from tooth and maxillofacial region. Transient receptor potential vanilloid(TRPV) 1 is highly expressed on the membrane of trigeminal ganglion. TRPV1 is one of the members of transient receptor potential(TRP) family, which is a kind of cation selective channel contributing to the conduction of pain based on trigeminal ganglion, dorsal root ganglion and so on. Nociception on nerve can be directly stimulated by neuropeptide, bradykinin, prostaglandin, nerve growth factor, 5-hydroxytryptamine, as well as temperature and pH, through TRPV1 as a result of pain. The regulatory mechanisms of TRPV1 are various and complex as on the processes like gene transcription, translation and expression as well as the formation of the receptor subtype. These mechanisms have effects on maintaining the normal physiological functions, also are the possible causes of dysfunction of TRPV1 leading to pain rising. In this review, the pain development and regulatory mechanisms of TRPV1 are mainly reviewed.
