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Innervation of eccrine sweat glands
Biology Bulletin of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. Akademiia Nauk SSSR
|September 1, 1980
Summary
Eccrine sweat glands possess both cholinergic and adrenergic nerve fibers. Chemical sympathectomy significantly reduces monoamine oxidase and acetylcholinesterase in these nerves, indicating adrenergic control.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Dermatology
- Histology
Background:
- Eccrine glands are innervated by cholinergic fibers.
- Recent studies suggest adrenergic innervation also supplies eccrine glands, particularly in primates.
- Adrenergic components containing catecholamines have been observed in primate skin.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence and characteristics of adrenergic innervation in eccrine sweat glands.
- To determine the role of adrenergic fibers in eccrine gland function.
- To analyze the distribution and activity of enzymes associated with neurotransmission in eccrine glands.
Main Methods:
- Detection of monoamine oxidase (MAO) in eccrine sweat glands of rodents and cats.
- Histochemical localization of specific and nonspecific cholinesterases.
- Chemical sympathectomy in rats using guanethidine to assess the impact on nerve components.
Main Results:
- Monoamine oxidase was found in myelin nerve trunks, varicose terminals, and mitochondria of eccrine sweat gland cells.
- Specific and nonspecific cholinesterases were localized in nerves surrounding secretory portions and excretory ducts.
- Chemical sympathectomy led to a sharp decrease in MAO and disappearance of acetylcholinesterase in nerves.
Conclusions:
- Eccrine sweat glands are innervated by both cholinergic and adrenergic fibers.
- Adrenergic innervation, indicated by MAO presence, plays a role in eccrine gland function.
- The study provides evidence for the adrenergic control of eccrine sweat glands.