The morphological characteristics of adrenergic and cholinergic innervation are
described in the vas deferens of the domestic fowl. Adrenergic innervation was
much better developed than the cholinergic. Both types of nerve fibre were
found in the muscular membrane, submucosal membrane and in the mucosa.
The largest number of adrenergic nerve fibres was observed in the muscular
membrane. These were less numerous in the submucosa, mucosa and in the
wall of small blood vessels. The largest number of cholinergic nerve fibres was
noted under the mucosa. Single cholinergic nerve fibres were seen to penetrate
between the epithelial cells

Marczak, Maria

Sadanowicz, Piotr

Łakomy, Mirosław

English

Via Medica Journals

Folia Morphol. Vol. 63, No. 4, pp. 377–379Copyright © 2004 Via MedicaISSN 0015–5659www.fm.viamedica.plO R I G I N A L  A R T I C L E377Address for correspondence: Piotr Sadanowicz, Department of Anatomy and Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Natural Science, Universityof Szczecin, ul. Wąska 13, 71–412 Szczecin, Poland, tel/fax: +48 91 444 16 55, e-mail: sadan@univ.szczecin.plThe adrenergic and cholinergic innervation ofthe chicken vas deferensPiotr Sadanowicz1, Maria Marczak2, Mirosław Łakomy1, 21Department of Anatomy and Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Natural Science, University of Szczecin, Poland2Department of Animal Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn,Olsztyn-Kortowo II, Poland[Received 24 March 2004; Revised 23 July 2004; Accepted 23 July 2004]The morphological characteristics of adrenergic and cholinergic innervation aredescribed in the vas deferens of the domestic fowl. Adrenergic innervation wasmuch better developed than the cholinergic. Both types of nerve fibre werefound in the muscular membrane, submucosal membrane and in the mucosa.The largest number of adrenergic nerve fibres was observed in the muscularmembrane. These were less numerous in the submucosa, mucosa and in thewall of small blood vessels. The largest number of cholinergic nerve fibres wasnoted under the mucosa. Single cholinergic nerve fibres were seen to penetratebetween the epithelial cells.Key words: chicken, vas deferens, innervationINTRODUCTIONInnervation of the mammalian male genital tracthas been fairly well surveyed. The adrenergic, cho-linergic and peptidergic innervation of the vas defe-rens have been extensively studied in many mam-malian species, including humans [1, 5], swine, theguinea pig, and the rat [6].Publications dealing with the innervation of theavian reproductive tract are very sparse. There areno publications dealing exclusively with innervationof the vas deferens in birds. The available literaturedescribes innervation of the entire cock genital tract[9] and the general structure of the adrenergic ner-vous system of the chicken [3].The present study was aimed at describing thedistribution of adrenergic and cholinergic nerve fi-bres in the vas deferens of the domestic fowl, a birdof great economic value.MATERIAL AND METHODSA population of 3 adult cocks of the Hamburgrace, the white-speckled variety, were used for thestudy. Adrenergic innervation was demonstratedaccording to the method of de la Torre and Sur-geon [4]. The detection of cholinergic nerve fibreswas performed using the Karnovsky and Rootsmethod [7].RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONThe adrenergic innervation of the cock vas defe-rens is well developed. The largest number of theadrenergic nerve bundles was associated with themuscular membrane (Fig. 2). The nerve fibres ran inboth circular and longitudinal layers. Many of theadrenergic nerve fibres were associated with thesmall blood vessels (Fig. 1). Numerous adrenergicnerve fibres were found in the submucosa (Fig. 2).The adrenergic innervation in the mucosa wasweaker than in the muscular membrane. The nervefibres generally ran in a circular manner (Fig. 3). Someof adrenergic nerve fibres were found under the epi-thelium (Fig. 4). The distribution of adrenergic nervefibres was similar throughout the vas deferens.The AChE-positive innervation was much weakerthan the adrenergic. The cholinergic nerve fibres wereobserved in the circular as well as in the longitudinal378Folia Morphol., 2004, Vol. 63, No. 4Figure 1. Initial part of the vas deferens. Adrenergic nerve fibresassociated with small blood vessel (¥ 400). Adrenergic nervefibres in the chicken vas deferens; a — artery, ml — muscularmembrane.Figure 2. Initial part of the vas deferens. Adrenergic nerve fibresin the muscular membrane (¥ 400). Adrenergic nerve fibres inthe chicken vas deferens; ml — muscular membrane.Figure 3. Central part of the vas deferens. Adrenergic nerve fi-bres in the muscular membrane and in the mucosa (¥ 400). Adr-energic nerve fibres in the chicken vas deferens; mm — mu-cosa, ml — muscular membrane.Figure 4. Cloacal part of the vas deferens. Adrenergic nerve fi-bres in the mucosa (¥ 400). Adrenergic nerve fibres in the chick-en vas deferens; mm — mucosa, ml — muscular membrane.muscular membrane (Fig. 5). There were no cholin-ergic nerve fibres associated with blood vessels.The cholinergic nerve fibres in the mucosa gen-erally ran circularly (Fig. 5). The cholinergic nerveplexus in the chicken vas deferens was observedmainly under the mucosa (Fig. 5). Many of the cholin-ergic nerve fibres ran under the epithelium (Fig. 6).Single nerve fibres were seen to penetrate betweenthe epithelial cells (Fig. 6), mainly in the central sec-tion of the vas deferens.The general distribution of the cholinergic nervefibres was similar in the entire vas deferens. Thepresent study has shown that the vas deferens of thecock is supplied with both adrenergic and cholinergicnerve fibres. It is generally accepted that adrenergicfibres are excitatory to the smooth musculature ofthe vas deferens. Adrenergic innervation stimulatescontraction of the muscular membrane, and can causevasodilatation of the intramural blood vessels [5].Adrenergic innervation seems to play a similar role inthe motor function of the cock vas deferens. Numer-ous adrenergic nerve fibres in the muscular membranewere described in the present study, with fewer ob-served in the mucosa [9]. There is no significant dif-ference between the distribution of adrenergic nervefibres in each part of the cock vas deferens. The larg-est number of adrenergic nerve fibres occurred in themuscle coat. Numerous adrenergic nerve fibres wereassociated with the small blood vessels.The functional importance of cholinergic inner-vation of the mammalian vas deferens has not yetbeen well understood. Previous studies suggest that379Piotr Sadanowicz et al., The adrenergic and cholinergic innervation of the chicken vas deferensthe main activity of cholinergic nerve fibres is to sup-press adrenergic transmission [6, 8].Cholinergic nerve fibres may act on the epithelialcells of the vas deferens. These cells may by respon-sible for fluid resorption from the lumen or for ac-tive secretion of some sperm component that mayby necessary for sperm maturation [2]. Autonomicinnervation of the avian vas deferens seems to playa similar role to that in the mammalian vas defer-ens. Cholinergic innervation was much weaker thanthe adrenergic innervation. It is associated with themuscular membrane as well as with the mucosa. Thecholinergic nerve fibres in the cock vas deferens werelocated mainly under the mucosa.Tingari [9] did not observe cholinergic nerve fi-bres in the close vicinity of blood vessels in thecock vas deferens. This is confirmed by the presentstudy.The present investigation demonstrates cholinergicnerve fibres penetrating between epithelial cells,which has not previously been observed in birds. It isworth noticing that nerve fibre penetration betweenepithelial cells has only been noted in the human vasdeferens [5].No previous publications have dealt exclusivelywith the innervation of the chicken vas deferens.The present study generally confirms and expandsthe results of the previous studies of innervation ofthe cock genital tract conducted by Tingari and Lake[9] and Bennett and Malmfors [3]. The authors ofboth these investigations used the Falck-Hillarp meth-od for adrenergic nerve visualisation. In the presentstudy detection of adrenergic nerve fibres was per-formed using the de la Torre and Surgeon method.The present publication may be an introductionto further studies on the autonomic innervation ofthe vas deferens in birds.REFERENCES1. Alm P (1982) On the autonomic innervation of thehuman vas deferens. Brain Res Bull, 9: 673–677.2. Bell C (1982) Autonomic nervous control of reproduc-tion: circulatory and other factors. Pharmacol Rev, 24:657–736.3. Bennett T, Malmfors T (1970) The adrenergic ner-vous system of the domestic fowl (Gallus domesticus).Z Zellforsch, 106: 22–50.4. De la Torre JC, Surgeon J (1976) A methodologicalapproach to rapid and sensitive monoamine histoflu-orescence using a modified glyoxylic acid technique.Histochemistry, 49: 81–93.5. Dixon JS, Jen PY, Gosling JA (1998) Structure and au-tonomic innervation of the human vas deferens: a re-view. Microsc Res Tech, 42: 423–432.6. Kaleczyc J (1998) Orgin and neurochemical character-istics of nerve fibres supplying the mammalian vasdeferens. Microsc Res Tech, 42: 409–422.7. Karnovsky M, Roots L (1964) A ‘direct coloring’ tricho-line method for cholinesterases. J. Histochem Cy-tochem, 12: 219–221.8. Sjöstrand NO (1962) Inhibition by ganglionic blockingagents of the motor response of the isolated guinea-pig vas deferens to hypogastric nerve stimulation. ActaPhysiol Scand, 54: 306–315.9. Tingari MD, Lake PE (1972) The intrinsic innervation ofthe reproductive tract of the male fowl (Gallus domes-ticus). A histochemical and fine structural study. J Anat,112: 257–271.Figure 5. Central part of the vas deferens. AChE-positivenerve fibres in the muscular membrane and in the mucosa(¥ 200). Cholinergic nerve fibres in the chicken vas deferens.Abbreviations used in all figures; mm — mucosa, ml — mus-cular membrane. Arrows indicate nerve fibres.Figure 6. Central part of the vas deferens. Cholinergic nerve fi-bres in the mucosa. Single nerve fibres penetrating between epi-thelial cells (¥ 400). Cholinergic nerve fibres in the chicken vasdeferens; ep — epithelium, mm — mucosa. Arrows indicatenerve fibres.

The adrenergic and cholinergic innervation of the chicken vas deferens

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The adrenergic and cholinergic innervation of the chicken vas deferens

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