Of the mammalian transient receptor potential(TRP) superfamily members

transient receptor potential vanilloid 1(TRPV 1)

TRPV 2

TRPV 3

TRPV 4

melastatin transient receptor potential(TRPM) 4

TRPM 5

and TRP ankyrin 1(TRPA 1)

are mostly permeable to both monovalent and divalent cation channels and are able to sense to changes of the temperature.Cutaneous TRPV 1

TRPV 2

TRPV 3

TRPV 4

TRPM 4 and TRPM 5 are sensitive to warm stimulation.Moxibustion

a type of physical thermal stimulus

can bring forth some curative effects after applying to certain acupoints for a period of time.Therefore

it is possible to reveal the underlying mechanisms of moxibustion in improving some related clinical disorders through studying activities of transient receptor potential family members.In the present paper

the authors summarize various characteristics of the activated TRP family members in the cutaneous tissue.Moreover

the authors also put forward some researching ideas about the local triggering mechanism of moxibustion stimulation and the resultant cascading effects by combining with its characters of local special responses in experimental studies.