TRPV1 Homotetramer Molecular Pocket Gating
The transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel is a homotetramer where each subunit contributes transmembrane segments S1–S4 forming the vanilloid binding pocket (residues Y511, S512, T550) and S5–S6 forming the central cation-conducting pore.
Selectivity ratio PCa:PNa ~ 9.6:1. Activation allows massive intracellular Ca2+ surge, triggering calcineurin dephosphorylation and receptor desensitization if exposure is sustained.
Pelvic Visceral Cross-Sensitization (The Neural Reflex Arc)
The primary physiological mechanism linking extreme dietary spice to uterine irritability is not direct transplacental or plasma capsaicin diffusion, but viscerovisceral cross-sensitization mediated by shared primary afferent projections into the lumbosacral spinal cord (L6–S2).