The adrenergic nerve supply to bovine ovarian follicles

To obtain more exact knowledge of the adrenergic innervation around ovarian follicles at various stages, a combination of fluorescence and light microscopic observations of the same specimen was applied to the bovine ovary in the breeding season. We found no fluorescent nerve fibers in the membrana granulosa at any stages of follicular development. The sparse nerve fibers found in the theca interna of Graafian follicles were apparently those accompanying blood vessels, and such were considered not to play a significant role in the vasomotor control of follicular blood flow. The fluorescent fibers in the theca externa increased in density and intensity in the course of follicular development. This increase appears to coincide with the increasing contractility of the follicular wall around the time of ovulation.