Uddman R, Alumets J, Ehinger B, Håkanson R, Lorén I, Sundler F
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1980 Aug;19(8):878-85.
Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), a neuronal peptide of ubiquitous occurrence in the body, is known to have strong vasodilatory effects and to promote secretion from many exocrine glands. Nerves displaying VIP immunoreactivity (VIP nerves) were detected in several orbital structures of the cat. Such nerves were numerous in the lacrimal glands and somewhat less numerous in the Harderian glands and the tarsal glands. The nerves surrounded glandular acini and small blood vessels. Intraocularly, VIP nerves were seen in the ciliary processes, in the posterior third of the ciliary muscle, and around small to medium-sized blood vessels in the posterior uvea. VIP nerve fibers were absent from vessels in the anterior uvea. This distribution may explain why intracranial stimulation in the oculomotor nerve exit region dilates the vessels of the choroid but not those of the iris. A large number of VIP-immunoreactive nerve cell bodies were observed in the pterygopalatine ganglion. Extirpation of this ganglion resulted in the disappearance of VIP nerves from the intraocular structures and from the lacrimal and Harderian glands. Removal of the superior cervical ganglion and the ciliary ganglion did not affect the VIP nerve supply. The results suggest that the VIP nerves originate in the pterygopalatine ganglion.
血管活性肠肽（VIP）是一种在体内普遍存在的神经肽，已知具有强大的血管舒张作用，并能促进许多外分泌腺的分泌。在猫的几个眼眶结构中检测到显示VIP免疫反应性的神经（VIP神经）。这种神经在泪腺中很多，在哈德氏腺和睑板腺中则稍少。这些神经围绕着腺泡和小血管。在眼内，在睫状突、睫状肌后三分之一以及后葡萄膜中小到中等大小的血管周围可见VIP神经。前葡萄膜的血管中没有VIP神经纤维。这种分布可能解释了为什么在动眼神经出颅区域进行颅内刺激会使脉络膜血管扩张，而不会使虹膜血管扩张。在翼腭神经节中观察到大量VIP免疫反应性神经细胞体。切除该神经节导致眼内结构以及泪腺和哈德氏腺中的VIP神经消失。切除颈上神经节和睫状神经节不影响VIP神经供应。结果表明，VIP神经起源于翼腭神经节。
