Acetylcholinesterase activity in the vasomotor and secretory fibers of the nose.

Abstract

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was demonstrated histochemically in the ethmoidal and maxillary arteries, the trigeminal nerve, and the olfactory mucosa as well as the nasal mucosa of man. Intense AChE activity was observed in the perivascular nerves of the ethmoidal and maxillary arteries. These nerves stem most likely from the periarterial plexus of the internal and external carotid arteries. This AChE-positive, periarterial nerve plexus is independent of the sphenopalatine ganglion. The AChE-positive fibers, distributed in the glands, represent probably secretory fibers. Most of these nerve bundles are thought to consist of post-ganglionic parasympathetic fibers, originating in the sphenopalatine ganglion. The arteries of the nasal mucosa are innervated both by the sphenopalatine ganglion and by the periarterial plexus of the carotid arteries, whereas the nasal glands receive their AChE-active fibers exclusively from the sphenopalatine ganglion. The difference is being discussed between the traditional concept of the parasympathetic supply of the nose, concerning the innervation by AChE-positive fibers, and that suggested in the present paper.