[Perivascular innervation of the superior mesenteric artery: pathophysiological implications]

The mesenteric artery is part of the splanchnic circulation system and, due to the large amount of blood that flows through it, it is involved in the regulation of arterial pressure; to perform this function it is essential to control vascular tone. This tone is regulated by several local, metabolic, endocrine and nervous factors, the most notable of these latter being the mesenteric perivascular innervation.

The most significant features of mesenteric perivascular innervation are described, with special attention to the sympathetic, nitrergic and sensory innervations. The article also analyses the involvement of this innervation in the pathophysiology of ageing, diabetes, arterial hypertension and splanchnic vasodilatation secondary to cirrhosis/portal hypertension.

Mesenteric perivascular innervation plays an important role in the regulation of blood flow and arterial pressure. Alterations in this innervation are involved in the genesis and continuation of vascular disorders associated with diabetes, splanchnic vasodilatation secondary to cirrhosis/portal hypertension and also in the ageing process, by modifying the balance between vasodilator and vasoconstrictor agents. Greater knowledge of these anomalies can be used to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in these disorders and to help in the design of new forms of treatment.