ISSN:
1432-0878
Keywords:
Retractor penis
;
Vas deferens
;
Dog
;
Autonomic innervation
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
Notes:
Summary Sections of the retractor penis and vas deferens of the dog have been examined to reveal the histochemical localization of noradrenaline (NA) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the intrinsic nerve fibres. Pine varicose nerves containing NA were abundant along the entire length of the retractor penis muscle, while fine fibres exhibiting high AChE activity were restricted almost entirely to the anterior half of the muscle. In the testicular end of the vas deferens, a dense plexus of noradrenergic nerves was found at the base of the mucosal epithelial cells and other NA-containing nerves were scattered relatively sparsely through the muscle coats. In contrast, at the urethral end, the smooth muscle coats contained a far more dense population of NA-containing nerves, and there was no evidence of a submucosal nerve plexus. Fibres exhibiting high AChE activity were also found throughout the muscle coats, but no concentration of staining fibres was observed in the submucosa at the testicular end of the organ. It is concluded that the smooth muscle of both the retractor penis and the vas deferens of the dog may receive innervation from separate adrenergic and cholinergic fibres. Appreciable levels of AChE do not appear to be associated with adrenergic axons in this species.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00340289
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