Expression of TRPV1 in the C57BL/6 mice brain hippocampus and cortex during development

Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel has been found to be expressed in a variety of tissues over the last few years, including the central nervous system (CNS). However, the distribution of TRPV1 in the CNS remains a controversial question. Here, we reveal that the expression of TRPV1 can be detected in the C57BL/6 mouse hippocampus and cortex using real-time PCR and western blot. Beyond that, mRNA and protein expression levels of TRPV1 show dynamic changes during brain development. Compared with the earliest timepoint examined at 2 weeks, the expression levels of mRNA progressively increased at 4 and 8 weeks, peaking at the later timepoint, then declined at 16 weeks but remained elevated. However, compared with 2-week-old mice, the expression levels of the other three groups (4-, 8-, and 16-week-old mice) increased overall. These results indicate that TRPV1 channel expression is detectable in the CNS and it varies during postnatal development.