Hints of a functional connection between the neuropeptidergic innervation of arteriovenous anastomoses and the appearance of epithelioid cells in the XXXX ear.

@entity129 @entity95 @entity1006 @entity1110 @entity842 @entity669
Peripheral blood flow can be regulated by specialized vessel segments, the arteriovenous anastomoses. Their wall consists of a relatively thick layer of smooth muscle cells and so-called epithelioid cells. The epithelioid cell is a specialized myogenic cell phenotype expressing @entity842 synthase. We studied the innervation of the different segments of arteriovenous anastomoses in the @entity95 ear using antisera against neuropeptide Y, @entity669 hydroxylase, calcitonin gene-related peptide and substance P, as well as neuron-specific enolase, calbindin D and neurotubulin. The participation was especially examined of neuropeptidergic innervation and a possible morphological connection to the occurrence of epithelioid cells and a paracrine function. The @entity1110 diaphorase reaction and alpha-smooth muscle actin immunoelectron microscopy served to distinguish epithelioid cells from smooth muscle cells. Using conventional fluorescence microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy, we found the most dense innervation pattern of pan-neuronal markers (neurotubulin, neuron-specific enolase), @entity669 hydroxylase-immunoreactive nerve fibres and @entity129 fibres (neuropeptide Y, calcitonin gene-related peptide, substance P) around the intermediate segment in arteriovenous anastomoses, whereas the venous segment was barely marked. Single nerve fibres penetrated into the medial layer and reached the epithelioid cells. Using immunoelectron microscopy, we found intercellular contacts between epithelioid cells, but not the gap junction protein @entity1006 . Here, we report for the first time a correlation of the innervation pattern with epithelioid cell type in arteriovenous anastomoses. Our findings suggest that epithelioid cells of the arteriovenous anastomoses are controlled by a dense network of @entity129 fibres in functional connection to their paracrine role as a @entity842 producer.
