Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Department of Developmental Anatomy and Regenerative Biology, National Defense Medical College, Saitama, Japan.
Am J Pathol. 2020 May;190(5):1068-1079. doi: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2020.01.007. Epub 2020 Feb 19.
Tear fluid secreted from the exocrine lacrimal gland (LG) has an essential role in maintaining a homeostatic environment for a healthy ocular surface. Tear secretion is regulated by the sympathetic and parasympathetic components of the autonomic nervous system, although the contribution of each component is not fully understood. To investigate LG innervation, we identified sympathetic and parasympathetic postganglionic nerves, specifically innervating the mouse LG, by injecting a retrograde neuronal tracer into the LG. Interruption of neural stimuli to the LG by the denervation of these postganglionic nerves immediately and chronically decreased tear secretion, leading to LG atrophy along with destruction of the lobular structure. This investigation also found that parasympathetic, but not sympathetic, innervation was involved in these alterations.
从外分泌泪腺 (LG) 分泌的泪液对于维持健康的眼表面的动态平衡环境起着至关重要的作用。泪液分泌受自主神经系统的交感和副交感成分调节，尽管每个成分的贡献尚未完全了解。为了研究 LG 的神经支配，我们通过将逆行神经元示踪剂注射到 LG 中来鉴定专门支配小鼠 LG 的交感和副交感节后神经。这些节后神经的去神经支配中断了对 LG 的神经刺激，立即和长期减少了泪液分泌，导致 LG 萎缩，同时破坏了小叶结构。这项研究还发现，副交感神经而不是交感神经支配参与了这些变化。
