Italian Journal of Anatomy and Embryology - contenuto non piu disponibile

Studies on lymphatic vessels in various organs have been carried out both from a \nstructural than a functional point of view. Data, although scarce, could be found in past \nworks concerning neurotransmission in lymphatic vessels. Knowledge of the physiologic \nand/or pathological mechanisms which regulate the functions within the lymphatic \nsystem is still scarce and consequently certain pathological alterations, with a probable \nmorphological base, may be clinically misinterpreted as functional disorders. However, \nin recent years, there is a growing interest about morphological and functional relations \nbetween nerve fibers, lymphatic vessels and lymphoid organs. Actually, increasing evidences \nhave been published regarding this topic. In fact, many papers include descriptions, \nin some case, of morphological and/or functional interrelations between nerve \nfibers and structures of the lymphatic system in various organs such as monkey bladder, \nhuman lymph nodes, dog thoracic duct, rat skin, Peyer’s plaques from cat ileum, guinea \npig intestine, sheep mesenteric lymphatic vessels, rat femoral lymphatic vessels etc. \nExtension of documentation on morphological functions relative to the mechanisms \nof nerve control in the lymphatic system seems increasingly auspicious to clarify the \nstructural aspects that are at the base of the physiology and/or pathology of the lymphatic \ncirculation. \nThe aim of this study is to identify the location and the nature of nerve fibres and \nnervous receptors of the human lymphatic vessels and to analyse the characteristics of \nthese nerve fibres, using traditional histo-chemical techniques, fluorescent microscopy \nand immune-bound investigating techniques. Lymphatic vessels were isolated from human \nhealthy tissues next to traumatic or pathologic lesions during general surgery, after \nobtained patients informed consensus. The lymphatic vessels fragments were analysed \naccording to the procedures used for the staining of total, sympathetic, and parasympathetic \nnerve fibres. Our results demonstrated that both human lymphatic organs and \nlymphatic vessels are richly provided with all types of nerve fibres.