Innervation and receptor profiles of the human apocrine (epitrichial) sweat gland: routes for intervention in bromhidrosis

Abstract

No nerve fibres were found near the apocrine gland, suggesting that any catecholamine influence is through humoral effects and that glands could be influenced by beta-adrenoceptor subtypes and purinoceptors. Blockage of both these types of receptors offers a route to controlling apocrine secretion from axillary glands and reducing the opportunity for the development of bromhidrosis.

Psychological Sweating: A Systematic Review Focused on Aetiology and Cutaneous Response

“…In addition, others report that some or all of the sympathetic fibres innervating those locations are adrenergic [60,61,62] or that circulating catecholamines stimulate sweat gland activity directly [63]. Adrenergic fibres are much more sparsely distributed than cholinergic fibres, but have been found in close proximity to sweat glands throughout the skin's surface (including non-plantar and non-palmar sites) [3]. However, there is ample evidence that adrenergic activation of eccrine sweat glands of local neural origin cannot by itself be responsible for sweating or electrodermal responses [16].…”

“…2 Eccrine and apocrine sweat glands in axillary skin. Cross-section through eccrine (thin arrows) and apocrine (thick arrows) secretory coil stained with P2Y 2 antibody for enhancement of visualisation [for experimental details about the image, please refer to [3]]. …”

“…The secretory portion of the apocrine gland has been shown to express β 2 - and β 3 -adrenoceptors close to the basolateral membrane and purinoceptors in the myoepithelial cells (fig. 1) [3]. These adrenoceptors potentially mediate apocrine sweating in response to stimulation by catecholamines.…”

“…Immunohistochemical staining for β 2 -adrenoceptors in the secretory region of a human axillary apocrine sweat gland [for experimental details about the image, please refer to [3]].…”

“…Initiation of this form of sweating is not dependent on thermal loading. Apocrine glands exist at birth but do not become active until puberty and, although their specific function is unclear, they are known not to be involved in thermoregulation in humans [3]. Due to the occluded nature and ample supply of eccrine, apocrine sweat and sebum, the human axilla supports a dense cutaneous population of micro-organisms.…”