Summary
Umbilical vessels of guinea-pig fetuses were studied shortly before birth. In all umbilical cords investigated an innervation of the umbilical vessels is lacking. The intrafetal parts of the umbilical vessels on the other hand are richly innervated. A marked difference in the amount of nerve fibres and the pattern of innervation is found between artery and vein. The artery is supplied by a dense nerve plexus which spins around the media and which originates from nerve bundles within the outer adventitial layers. The comparatively scanty innervation of the vein exhibits a more coarsely meshed net pattern. The nerve bundles in the vein exhibit a close affinity to the vasa vasorum.
Number and type of the close contacts between the muscle cells are different in the various sections of the umbilical vessels. Similar to the distribution of nerves they are almost absent in the vessels of the umbilical cord, numerously, however, in the intrafetal parts. Contrary to the innervation, the close contacts in the vein are developed more numerously and more broadly than in the corresponding artery.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Boyd, J. D., Hamilton, W. J.: The human placenta. Cambridge: W. Heffer & Sons (1970).
Čech, S., Doležel, S.: Monoaminergic innervation of the pulmonary vessels in various laboratory animals (rat, rabbit, cat). Experientia (Basel) 23, 113–114 (1967).
De Robertis, E., Rodriguez de Lores Arnaiz, G., Salganicoff, L., Pellegrino de Iraldi, A., Zieher, L. M.: Isolation of synaptic vesicles and structural organization of the acetylcholine system within brain nerve endings. J. Neurochem. 10, 225–235 (1963).
Devine, C. E., Simpson, F. O.: The fine structure of vascular sympathetic neuromuscular contacts in the rat. Amer. J. Anat. 121, 153–174 (1967).
Ehinger, B., Gennser, G., Owman, Ch., Persson, H., Sjöberg, N.-O.: Histochemical and pharmacological studies on amine mechanisms in the umbilical cord, umbilical vein and ductus venosus of the human fetus. Acta physiol. scand. 72, 15–24 (1968).
Fox, H., Jacobson, H. N.: Innervation of the human umbilical cord and umbilical vessels. Amer. J. Obstet. Gynec. 103, 384–389 (1969).
Hagen, E., Wittkowski, W.: Licht- und elektronenmikroskopische Untersuchungen zur Innervation der Piagefäße. Z. Zellforsch. 95, 429–444 (1969).
Jabonero, V.: Die plexiforme Synapse auf Distanz und die Bedeutung der sogenannten interkalären Zellen. Acta neuroveget. (Wien) 19, 276–302 (1959).
Lachenmayer, L.: Adrenergic innervation of the umbilical vessels. Light- and fluorescence microscopic studies. Z. Zellforsch. 120, 120–136 (1971).
Leeson, C. R., Leeson, T. S.: The fine structure of the rat umbilical cord at various times of gestation. Anat. Rec. 151, 183–198 (1965).
Lever, J. D., Ahmed, M., Irvine, G.: Neuromuscular and intercellular relationships in the coronary arterioles. A morphological and quantitative study by light and electron microscope. J. Anat. (Lond.) 99, 829–840 (1965).
Luft, J. H.: Improvements in epoxy resin embedding methods. J. biophys. biochem. Cytol. 9, 409–414 (1961).
Nadkarni, B. B.: Innervation of the human umbilical artery. Amer. J. Obstet. Gynec. 107, 303–312 (1970).
Reynolds, E. S.: The use of lead citrate at high pH as an electron-opaque stain in electron microscopy. J. Cell Biol. 17, 208–212 (1963).
Rhodin, J. A. G.: The ultrastructure of mammalian arterioles and precapillary sphincters. J. Ultrastruct. Res. 18, 181–223 (1967).
Richardson, K. C.: The fine structure of the albino rabbit iris with special reference to the identification of adrenergic and cholinergic nerves and nerve endings in its intrinsic muscles. Amer. J. Anat. 114, 173–205 (1964).
Schmermund, H.-J, Roderga, H., Soehring, K.: Über die Beteiligung von 5-Hydroxytryptamin (Serotonin) beim physiologischen Verschluß der Nabelschnurgefäße post parturn. Arch. Gynäk. 191. 457–462 (1959).
Silva, D. G., Farrell, K. E., Smith, G. C.: Ultrastructural and histochemical studies on the innervation of the mucous membrane of mouse colon. Anat. Rec. 162, 157–176 (1968).
—, Ikeda, M.: Ultrastructural and acetylcholinesterase studies on the innervation of the ductus arteriosus, pulmonary trunk and aorta of the fetal lamb. J. Ultrastruct. Res. 34, 358–374 (1971).
Somlyo, A. V., Woo, C. Y., Somlyo, A. P.: Responses of nerve-free vessels to vasoactive amines and polypeptides. Amer. J. Physiol. 208, 748–753 (1965).
Spivack, M.: On the presence or absence of nerves in the umbilical blood vessels of man and guinea pig. Anat. Rec. 85, 85–109 (1943).
Verity, M. A., Bevan, J. A.: Fine structural study of the terminal effector plexus, neuromuscular and intermuscular relationships in the pulmonary artery. J. Anat. (Lond.) 103, 49–63 (1968).
Walker, D. W., McLean, J. R.: Absence of adrenergic nerves in the human placenta. Nature (Lond.) 229, 344–345 (1971).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hülsemann, M. Innervation of the umbilical vessels. Z. Zellforsch. 120, 137–150 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00331247
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00331247