Summary
The fluorescence histochemical method has been used to study the adrenergic innervation of the cardio-vascular system of the lizard, Trachysaurus rugosus. The cardiac muscle of the caval veins, sinus venosus, auricle and of the papillary muscle of the ventricle is heavily innervated. Some areas of the ventricles are uninnervated. The aortic arches and the elastic arteries are all adrenergically innervated. These arteries have nerve fibres in their mediae and innervated vasa vasorum at the medio-adventitial border. Adrenergic nerves usually do not penetrate the media of muscular arteries. The pattern of innervation of the peripheral arteries is similar to that of mammals, the principal exception being the pulmonary artery which is extremely densely innervated. All the major veins are innervated, but the innervation is generally far sparser than that of the arteries. Many of the small veins have little or no adrenergic innervation. The patterns of innervation seen in stretched, air dried preparations and in sections are described and possible functional implications are discussed.
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This work was supported by grants from the National Heart Foundation of Australia and the Australian Research Grants Committee. J. M. held a special vacation grant from the National Heart Foundation during part of this work.
We are indebted to Mr. G. Mucznik for the translation of papers published in Russian. We are grateful to Prof. G. Burnstock, P. J. Berger and T. Bennett who read the manuscript and provided valuable criticism. We also thank Mr. Berger for allowing us to quote his unpublished results.
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Furness, J.B., Moore, J. The adrenergic innervation of the cardio-vascular system of the lizard Trachysaurus rugosus . Z. Zellforsch. 108, 150–176 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00335293
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00335293