The Adrenergic Innervation of the Nasal Mucosa of Certain Mammals

Abstract

The distribution and the morphological construction of the adrenergic innervation to various sections of the vascular bed in the nasal mucosa of certain mammals was studied by means of the highly sensitive and specific fluorescence method of Falck & Hillarp. Noradrenaline was found to be present within typical adrenergic nerve terminals running in anastomosing strands of an autonomic ground plexus which surround and is directly superimposed on the muscle layer. The terminals practically never penetrated into this layer.The arteries, arterioles and veins of the nasal mucosa were surrounded by a rich adrenergic plexus. The very rich adrenergic plexus surrounding the wide veins of the erectile tissue in the inferior concha is considered to be of great importance in regulating the blood flow through the nasal mucosa. Special attention was paid to the possible occurrence of sphincters with a rich adrenergic innervation. No differentiated innervation structures were observed, however. No adrenergic fibres were present around the glands of the nasal mucosa.