Anatomy of efferent hepatic nerves

Abstract

The role of neural elements in regulating blood flow through the hepatic sinusoids, solute exchange, and parenchymal function is incompletely understood. This is due in part to limited investigation in only a few species whose hepatic innervation may differ significantly from humans. For example, most experimental studies have used rats and mice having livers with little or no intralobular innervation. In contrast, most other mammals, including humans, have aminergic and peptidergic nerves extending from perivascular plexus in the portal space into the lobule, where they course in Disse's space in close relationship to stellate cells (fat storing cells of Ito) and hepatic parenchymal cells. While these fibers extend throughout the lobule, they predominate in the periportal region. Cholinergic innervation, however, appears to be restricted to structures in the portal space and immediately adjacent hepatic parenchymal cells. Neuropeptides have been colocalized with neurotransmitters in both adrenergic and cholinergic nerves. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) has been colocalized in aminergic nerves supplying all segments of the hepatic-portal venous and the hepatic arterial and biliary systems. Nerve fibers immunoreactive for substance P and somatostatin follow a similar distribution. Intralobular distribution of all of these nerve fibers is species-dependent and similar to that reported for aminergic fibers. Vasoactive intestinal peptide and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) are reported to coexist in cholinergic and sensory afferent nerves innervating portal veins and hepatic arteries and their branches, but not the other vascular segments or the bile ducts. Nitrergic nerves immunoreactive for neuronal nitric oxide (nNOS) are located in the portal tract where nNOS colocalizes with both NPY- and CGRP-containing fibers. In summary, the liver is innervated by aminergic, cholinergic, peptidergic, and nitrergic nerves. While innervation of structures in the portal tract is relatively similar between species, the extent and distribution of intralobular innervation are highly variable as well as species-dependent and may be inversely related to the density of gap junctions between contiguous hepatic parenchymal cells.