Quiet residents of the vaginal epithelium: immunohistochemical study on the distribution and role of human vaginal Merkel cells

This is the first study to address the possible function of MCs in the vaginal epithelium. The absence of PIEZO2 and CGRP expression, and low expression of VIP and SYN, suggests a non-mechanosensory and non-nociceptive role for MCs in the vaginal epithelium. The immunophenotypic profile supports a potential endocrine (paracrine or autocrine) function distinct from their role in human skin. Vaginal MCs probably form part of the neuroendocrine system of the vagina and maintain vaginal epithelial homeostasis and regeneration.