The Role of Neuropeptide Y in Dental Pulp: Balancing Neurogenic Inflammation and Pain Modulation.

What It Covers

Researchers studied Neuropeptide Y in this review publication.

To critically synthesise current evidence on NPY in dental pulp biology, focusing on its roles in neurogenic inflammation, neuroimmune modulation, vascular control and nociceptive signalling, and to evaluate whether NPY release represents a physiologically meaningful intrinsic analgesic mechanism during restorative-procedure-related pulpal stress and dentine hypersensitivity.

Why It Was Studied

Dental pulp is a densely innervated, low-compliance tissue in which neurogenic inflammation can rapidly escalate into oedema, raised intrapulpal pressure, microvascular compromise, and pain.

While Substance P (SP) and Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) are well-established drivers of pulp vasodilation, the Neuroopeptide Y (NPY) endogenous counter-regulatory mechanism remain comparatively under-explored.

Who the Included Studies Covered

A PRISMA-guided literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus from inception to February 2026, supplemented by grey literature and reference screening.

Experimental (in vitro/in vivo/ex vivo), human and animal tissue-based studies, and relevant reviews reporting molecular, cellular, or functional data on NPY and its receptors (particularly Y1/Y2) in the context of pulp inflammation and pain were included.

How the Review Was Done

Study selection and data extraction were performed independently by two reviewers.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Neuropeptide Y, Dental Pulp, Neurogenic Inflammation, Pulpitis, Pain and Receptors, Neuropeptide Y.

Author keywords: neuroimmune responses, nociception/pain modulation, pulpal biology and vascular regulation.

What This Means in Plain Language

This is a review of Neuropeptide Y.

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 8 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2026 (International endodontic journal), a journal based in England.

More context: the Neuropeptide Y compound page, all human trials.