Electron-microscopic studies of the innervation of the pulmonary veins of the mouse.

The innervation of the pulmonary veins was studied with electron microscopy. The adrenergic and cholinergic nerves were differentiated with potassium permanganate fixation. All three layers of the venous wall, namely, the tunica intima, media and adventitia, contained unmyelinated axons. Adrenergic and cholinergic axons were located near the cardiac muscle in the tunica media and near the smooth muscle in the tunica intima. The morphological relationships may explain the pharmacological and electrophysiological responses of the large pulmonary veins observed by others.