Intramural distribution of adrenergic and cholinergic nerve fibers innervating arterioles of the hamster cheek pouch

Electron microscopic, autoradiographic and histochemical techniques were used to determine the distribution of adrenergic and cholinergic nerve fibers within the walls of arterioles having a width of 35 to 60 μ in the hamster cheek pouch. Nerves were confined to the adventitia and their varicose regions were distributed so that 86% were located within 1 μ of the media. Arterioles exposed to ³H-norepinephrine and examined by light microscopic autoradiography exhibited several sites of silver grain accumulation, as a result of the uptake of ³H-norepinephrine by adrenergic nerve fibers. In electron autoradiographs, approximately 70% of all adventitial nerve fibers exhibited silver grains and are therefore considered to be noradrenergic. The majority of all nerve-associated silver grains were located near the adventitial-medial junction. Smooth muscle cells sometimes possessed concentrations of silver grains above background levels, perhaps reflecting the capacity of these cells to take up norepinephrine. Acetylcholinesterase activity was demonstrated in 16 to 44% of the adventitial nerve fibers and they are presumed to be cholinergic. Acetylcholinesterase-stained fibers were distributed throughout the adventitia with 43% being located closer than 1 μ to the media. The morphological identification of a dual adrenergic and cholinergic innervation of arterioles of the hamster cheek pouch indicates the probable presence of an active as opposed to a passive vasodilatory mechanism.