Quantitative immunohistochemical investigation of the intrinsic vasodilator innervation of the XXXX lingual artery.

@entity10133 @entity840 @entity6892 @entity1877 @entity528 @entity934
The vasculature of the @entity840 tongue is supplied by parasympathetic vasodilator nerve fibres of intrinsic origin. Here, we investigated first to what extent neuropeptides and the synthesizing enzymes of NO, CO and @entity934 are contained and colocalized within periarterial lingual vasodilator axons of intrinsic origin. Then it was determined whether perivascular innervation by these fibre types changes with vascular diameter, in particular in comparison with the sensory substance @entity10133 )-positive and sympathetic noradrenergic vascular innervation. To this end, single, double and triple labelling histochemical techniques were performed on control tongues and tongues kept in short-term organotypic culture to induce @entity528 . Cell bodies of intrinsic microganglia and their periarterial axons contained, simultaneously, NO synthase, vasoactive intestinal peptide and the @entity934 -synthesizing enzyme @entity1877 acetyltransferase. Additionally, @entity6892 (NPY) was observed in a small percentage (12%) of neurons that increased to 39% after 36 h of organotypic culture. The CO synthesizing enzyme heme oxygenase-2 was detected only in perikarya but not in periarterial axons. Intrinsic vasodilator fibres were invariably present at arteries down to a luminal diameter of 150 microm, and reached 65% of section profiles of smallest arterioles, while noradrenergic and substance P-positive axons reached 80% of arteriolar profiles. These findings show that the intrinsic lingual vasodilator innervation of the @entity840 is far extending although slightly less developed than that by sensory and sympathetic axons, and differs both in this aspect and in patterns of colocalization from that reported for other organs, e.g. lung and pelvic organs.
