DISTRIBUTION AND ORIGINS OF THE NITRERGIC PERIVASCULAR NERVES IN RAT CEREBRAL ARTERIES / 解剖学报

ABSTRACT

Objective To observe the distribution and origins of the nitrergic perivascular nerves in rat cerebral arteries with a histochemical method for reduced nictinamide adenine dinucleotid phosphate(NADPH) diphorase activity, after resecting the membraneous structure at the ethmoidal formen. Methods Health adult SD rats were randomly distributed to three groupssham operation group(group A), unilateral (right) operation group(group B), and bilateral operation group (group C). Both group B and C were further divided into two groups group of resection of membraneous structure and nasociliary nerve (group BⅠ,CⅠ), and group of only removing membraneous structure (group BⅡ, CⅡ). On the seventh day after operation, the pterygopalatine ganglia and otic ganglia of group A were taken, and striped the cerebral arteries of three groups. With the method of NADPH d we investigated the positive cells in pterygopalatine ganglia, otic ganglia, and the changes of positive perivascular nerve fibers. Results A great deal of NADPH d positive cells were found in both pterygopalatine ganglia and otic ganglia. After unilateral operation, the NADPH d positive nerves in the ipsilateral middle cerebral artery(MCA) completely disappeared, but it did not change on the contralateral MCA. The positive nerves on basal artery(BA) and bilateral posterior cerebral artery(PCA), internal carotid artery(ICA), and anterior cerebral artery (ACA), obviously decreased. After bilateral operation, the positive nerve fibers in all arteries except ACA disappeared. There were no significant difference between group BⅠ and BⅡ; CⅠ and CⅡ.Conclusion There were nitrergic nerve fibers in all major cerebral arteries, and the density of positive nerve fibers in the anterior circulation of the cerebral artery was higher than that of posterior one. Different cerebral arteries have different origins of nitrergic nerve. The nitrergic nerve in BA, PCA and ICA completely originated from ipsilateral pterygopalatine ganglia; the nitrergic nerves of MCA were completely originated from ipsilateral pterygopalatine ganglion; ACA have more sources of nitrergic nerves other than bilateral pterygopalatine ganglia. Nasociliary nerve from trigeminal ganglion did not involve in the origins of nitrergic perivascular nerves in rat cerebral arteries. [