Congruence of adrenergic and cholinergic intrinsic innervation of human and rat atria

Abstract

Right atrial biopsies from rat and human hearts were studied using combined methods for the demonstration of glyoxylic acid-induced fluorescence (GIF) of catecholamines and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) reactions in the same specimens. In specimens from the rat heart, the GIF and AChE reactions were performed either simultaneously or consecutively. In biopsies of the human right atrium, obtained at right atria cannulation during open-heart surgery, the reactions were performed consecutively. It was found that in both rat and human atria the adrenergic nerves and AChE reactive nerves, which are probably cholinergic, run partly separately and partly together. In the rat atrial specimens, close relations between adrenergic nerves and clusters of AChE reactive cells were observed. In addition, clusters of fluorescent cells were observed in the vicinity of AChE reactive nerve bundles. This indicates that there may be several possible means of peripheral interaction between the intrinsic adrenergic and cholinergic systems of the rat heart.

Gross and microscopic anatomy of the canine intrinsic cardiac nervous system

“…The ganglia in each plexus contain neurons with multiple nucleoli, complex axo-dendritic synapses, and membrane specializations. These findings are in agreement with the fact that a variety of neurochemicals can modify the behavior of intrinsic cardiac neurons in atrial or ventricular ganglionated plexuses Huang et al, 1993) and that a number of neurochemicals has been associated with intrinsic cardiac neurons histochemically (Bojsen-Mldller and Tranum-Jensen, 1971;Hancock et al, 1987;Hassal et al, 1987;Kent et al, 1974;Moravec et al, 1990;Waris et al, 1987). Nerves course between different ganglionated plexi, particularly between different atrial ones, supporting the concept that neurons in various regions of the heart interact with a wide variety of other neurons.…”

Metabolic Approach of Myocardial Injury During Cold Cardiac Arrest

“…Cells containing catecholamines have been observed in the atrial wall (See Figures 7 a and b, Figure 8) (3). A fairly rich distribution of brightly green fluorescing single varicose axons and small axon fascicles was observed by Waris et al (23) as in our biopsies before aortic cross clamping and cold ischemia. Dopamine appears to be stored in perinuclear area in myocardial cells and perivascular endothelial cells.…”

Morphological study of the innervation pattern of the rabbit sinoatrial node

“…Afferent nerve fibers are probably also present (Kostreva , 1975;Malliani et al, 1986). Although the proportion of adrenergic to cholinergic fibers is undefined at present, sequential staining for catecholamines and cholinesterase activity by the method recently reported by Waris et al (1987) should further clarify this issue. In addition, peptidergic neurons containing substance P, neurotensin, or vasoactive intestinal peptide (Weihe and Reinecke, 1981), and chromaffin cells (Jacobowitz, 1967), have been reported in the SA node.…”