Adrenergic Contribution to the Abdominal Vagus Nerves in the Cat

Abstract

Liedberg, G., Nielsen, K. C., Owman, Ch. & Sjöberg, N.-O. 1973. Adrenergic Contribution to the Abdominal Vagus Nerves in the Cat. Scand. J. Gastroent. 8, 177-180.

The contribution of preterminal sympathetic (adrenergic) fibres in the vagus nerves was demonstrated by fluorescence histochemistry after ligation of the anterior and posterior trunks; the axoplasmic flow in distal direction then becomes interrupted and noradrenaline piles up proximal to the ligature. Under normal conditions the noradrenaline concentration in the preterminal part of the adrenergic axon is not sufficiently high for histochemical visualization. The experiments revealed the presence of numerous adrenergic nerves in both vagus trunks. Ganglionectomy showed that these adrenergic fibres to a large extent originated in the stellate ganglia, whereas the superior cervical ganglia did not seem to contribute with any axons to the abdominal vagi.

Key-words::

• Fluorescence histochemistry
• sympathetic ganglionectomy
• vagal sympathetic nerves