Atrial acetylcholinesterase activity in various heart diseases of man.

Distribution and activity of the acetylcholinesterase enzyme in the human atrial myocardium was studied histochemically in a clinical series of patients subjected to cardiac surgery for (1) uncomplicated atrial septal defect (ASD), (2) ischaemic heart disease (IHD), (3) mitral and/or aortic valvular disease (VHD) necessitating replacement with a prosthetic valve, without major symptoms or signs of myocardial incompensation, or (4) clinically overt congestive heart failure (CHF) due to VHD prior to cardiac surgery. In all specimens, a rich distribution of acetylcholinesterase-positive single axons and small fascicles, constituting a three-dimensional nerve net, was observed within the myocardial tissue. This nerve net was obviously mainly parenchymatous, i.e. unrelated to the blood vessels. Small groups of acetylcholinesterase-positive small nerve cells were observed in some specimens, with loosely woven fascicles of axons emerging from one pole of the ganglia. No differences in the distribution of the acetylcholinesterase activity or in the pattern of the inbuilt intrinsic nervous apparatus were observed in the various groups of patients. All specimens were completely devoid of non-specific cholinesterase activity. It was concluded that (I) the human atrial myocardium is richly supplied with cholinergic intrinsic (post-ganglionic vagal) axons and (II) the acetylcholinesterase activity is not a major determinant of the parasympathetic abnormalities associated with cardiac diseases, especially with myocardial pump failure.