Studies of the hemopoietic microenvironment. VIII. Andrenergic and cholinergic innervation of the murine spleen.

Neurohistochemical techniques were used to confirm morphologically the distribution of adrenergic and cholinergic nerves to the splenic microvasculature. The results form the basis of this report. Using these methods, adrenergic innervation was observed only in the adventitia of arteries and arterioles. No cholinergic innervation was found in this site. No adrenergic or cholinergic innervation could be demonstrated to the channels of the red pulp, venules or veins. These data provided morphological evidence that in the murine spleen only splenic arteries and arterioles are innervated; and these have only an adrenergic innervation.