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Adrenergic innervation of the salivary glands in the rat

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Summary

The adrenergic innervation of the major salivary glands in the rat has been studied by a specific histochemical method for the visualization of the adrenergic transmitter. Adrenergic varicose nerve fibres were found, located in a typical adrenergic ground plexus closely surrounding the serous acini of the submaxillary and parotid glands, but not the acini of the mainly mucous sublingual gland. The ducts were found to be completely devoid of adrenergic innervation. Arterioles and venules in the stroma of all three glands and certain very small vessels, possibly the sphincters of arterio-venous anastomoses, were also richly innervated by adrenergic vasomotor fibres. The relationship of the adrenergic nerve fibres to the different functional units of the gland parenchyma is discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Histology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Karl -Axel Norberg & Lars Olson

Authors
  1. Karl -Axel Norberg
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  2. Lars Olson
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Additional information

The investigation has been supported by a research grant (B 66–257) from the Swedish Medical Research Council and by a Public Health Service Research Grant (NB 05236-01) from the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness.

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Norberg, K.A., Olson, L. Adrenergic innervation of the salivary glands in the rat. Zeitschrift für Zellforschung 68, 183–189 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00342427

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00342427

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