The innervation of the spleen

Utterback, Robert A.

doi:10.1002/cne.900810104

Cited by 36 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…On the other hand, this view which would ascribe the nicotine-like effect of acetylcholine on the spleen to an action on ganglia situated in either the spleen or splenic pedicle is contrary to the generally held concepts of the organization of the sympathetic nervous system, which assume that all preganglionic sympathetic fibres traversing the coeliac plexus relay in this plexus; the post-ganglionic fibres issuing from it then proceed to the organ which they innervate. With regard to the spleen, this view is supported by the work of Glaser (1928), Riegele (1929) and of Utterback (1944). Langley (1896), on the other hand, found in the cat small ganglia along the course of nerve strands from the solar ganglia.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…It seems unlikely that the vagus plays any part, because there appears to be no evidence for any definite action of the vagus nerve on the spleen (Schafer & Moore, 1896;Masuda, 1927). Furthermore, Utterback (1944) found no change in the number of myelinated and non-myelinated fibres in the splenic nerve after degenerative section of both vagus nerves below the level of the diaphragm. Presumably, therefore, these substances act through the sympathetic nervous system.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The effects of acetylcholine on the volume and vascular resistance of the dog's spleen

Daly¹,

Scott²

1961

The Journal of Physiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of acetylcholine on the volume and vascular resistance of the dog's spleen

Daly¹,

Scott²

1961

The Journal of Physiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…The splenic nerve of the cat contains a small number of myelinated and a large number of non-myelinated nerve fibres (Utterback, 1944;Kuntz & Jacobs, 1955). The compound action potential shows a small group of fibres with a conduction velocity of about 16 m/sec and a much larger group with a conduction velocity of less than 1 m/sec.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These begin regenerating almost immediately and their presence in the section of nerve over the electrodes cannot be excluded. However, the number of myelinated fibres in a normal splenic nerve is about 5 % of the total axons (Utterback, 1944) and, even if regeneration was 100 %, and if the non-myelinated portion carried impulses at the same rate as the sympathetic C fibres, the impulses carried by these regenerating myelinated fibres could only be a very small proportion of the impulse traffic in fibres conducting at 1 m/sec or less.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Agostoni, Chinnock, Daly & Murray (1957) have shown that many of the vagal efferent and afferent fibres running to the abdominal viscera are non-myelinated, and Iggo (1957) has recorded activity in vagal C fibres after stimulation of gastric and duodenal receptors. It is possible that some C fibres in the splenic nerve might be of vagal origin, but the work of Utterback (1944) indicates that if there is any vagal innervation of the spleen it cannot be very great. The experiment with the technique of Bain et al (1935) suggests that all the splenic visceral afferent fibres travel in the splanchnic nerves, but it is possible that some visceral afferents might not cause pupillary dilatation, and their presence would not be detected by this experiment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The sympathomimetic effect of acetylcholine on the spleen of the cat

Ferry¹

1963

The Journal of Physiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Evidence has accumulated that acetylcholine (ACh) is capable of acting on neurones at sites other than the subsynaptic membrane. It has been shown for instance that it can excite mammalian sensory nerve fibres in the skin and mesentery (Brown & Gray, 1948;Douglas & Gray, 1953), carotid sinus pressure receptors (Diamond, 1955) and C fibres carrying activity from cutaneous touch receptors (Douglas & Ritchie, 1960). Among the first to suggest that acetylcholine might excite post-ganglionic sympathetic fibres were Coon & Rothman (1940), who injected acetylcholine into the skin and obtained sympathetic effects which were prevented by ergotamine and by degeneration of the sympathetic supply to the area. Recently, Brandon & Rand (1961) and Daly & Scott (1961) have reinvestigated the sympathomimetic effect of acetylcholine on the spleen, previously described by Farber (1936). They showed that close arterial injection of acetylcholine into the spleen produced contraction of that organ and this effect could be prevented by reserpine, by adrenergic blocking agents, by hexamethonium and by degeneration of the sympathetic supply. It seemed possible that this sympathomimetic effect of acetylcholine might be due to its exciting the sympathetic post-ganglionic adrenergic C fibres, and experiments were carried out to test this hypothesis. Some of the results of these experiments have already been communicated to the Physiological Society (Ferry, 1962). METHODSCats were anaesthetized with ethyl chloride and ether and then with intravenous chloralose, 80 mg/kg. The abdominal cavity was opened by a mid-line incision and the spleen and its arterial supply were separated from the stomach and omentum by tying and cutting the hepatic, left gastric and gastro-epiploic arteries. In some experiments the stomach was removed to gain better access to the arterial supply of the spleen.Acetylcholine solution was injected into the splenic artery through a polythene cannula placed in a suitable sidebranch and pointing toward the heart. The arteriesused for retrograde cannulation were the hepatic artery, the smaller of the two divisions of the splenic artery, or a small branch of the splenic artery just before it enters the spleen. In one experiment one of the gastro-epiploic arteries was used. The arrangement of the cannula was such that injections could be made without interrupting the natural blood supply during the injection.

show abstract

Noradrenergic sympathetic innervation of the spleen: II. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)‐positive nerve terminals form synapticlike contacts on lymphocytes in the splenic white pulp

Felten

Olschowka

1987

J of Neuroscience Research

301

130

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Immunocytochemistry was used to demonstrate tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive profiles in the spleen of the adult Fischer 344 rat. At the light microscopic level, numerous varicose nerve profiles were seen in the white pulp, particularly surrounding the central arteries and their arteriole branches. At the electron microscopic level, varicosities were seen in close proximity to smooth muscle cells of the arteries, and directly abutting lymphocytes (presumable T-lymphocytes) of the nearby periarteriolar lymphatic sheath. There were no intervening cell processes between the TH-positive terminals and the lymphocyte. The opposing membranes were smooth and evenly spaced approximately 6 nm apart. Additional TH-positive nerve profiles were seen in the inner marginal zone and within trabeculae. The correlation between this immunocytochemical staining and previously demonstrated histofluorescence for norepinephrine leads to the conclusion that lymphocytes in the splenic white pulp have direct associations with noradrenergic fibers of the sympathetic nervous system. This association provides a route by which the autonomic nervous system could directly influence specific immune system effector cells.

show abstract

The innervation of the spleen

Cited by 36 publications

References 15 publications

The effects of acetylcholine on the volume and vascular resistance of the dog's spleen

The effects of acetylcholine on the volume and vascular resistance of the dog's spleen

The sympathomimetic effect of acetylcholine on the spleen of the cat

Noradrenergic sympathetic innervation of the spleen: II. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)‐positive nerve terminals form synapticlike contacts on lymphocytes in the splenic white pulp

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About