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Substance P-containing nerve fibres in large peripheral blood vessels of the rat

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Summary

Substance P-immunoreactive nerve fibres were localized by the indirect immunohistochemical method in the adventitia and the adventitial-medial border of large peripheral arteries and veins of the rat. Arteries showed a richer substance P-containing innervation than veins. The superior mesenteric artery was densely innervated, whereas no substance P-containing fibres were found around the carotid artery. Substance P produced a vasoconstriction of the veins, but was basically without effect on arteries, although with the carotid artery a dose-dependent relaxation was observed. The absence of a correlation between the degree of innervation of the blood vessels and their responsiveness to exogenous substance P suggests that these nerves do not subserve a vasomotor function. The depletion of substance P immunoreactivity from nerves in arteries and veins by capsaicin suggests that substance P-containing vascular nerves are primarily sensory in nature.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Biology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

    F. Barja, R. Mathison & H. Huggel

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  1. F. Barja
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  2. R. Mathison
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  3. H. Huggel
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Barja, F., Mathison, R. & Huggel, H. Substance P-containing nerve fibres in large peripheral blood vessels of the rat. Cell Tissue Res. 229, 411–422 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00214982

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