Cat cerebral arteries are functionally innervated by serotoninergic fibers from central and peripheral origins.
OBJECTIVE
Tryptophan hydroxylase activity and responses to tyramine were analyzed in cat cerebral arteries to investigate serotoninergic innervation.


METHODS
Enzymatic activity and responses to tyramine were measured in vessels from animals subjected to cervical gangliectomy and dorsal and median raphe nuclei lesions.


RESULTS
Tryptophan hydroxylase activity in cat cerebral arteries was reduced after ganglia removal and raphe nuclei destruction. Contractile responses of the middle cerebral artery after gangliectomy were decreased by ketanserine. Dorsal raphe nucleus destruction had a significant effect on the contractile response, whereas median raphe nucleus destruction had only a slight effect.


CONCLUSIONS
Cat cerebral arteries receive serotoninergic innervation from central and peripheral origins.
Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain.
M J
MJ
Moreno
A
A
López de Pablo
M V
MV
Conde
E J
EJ
Marco
D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000201:enzymology / Q000294:innervation* / Q000502:physiology; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System; D014365:Tryptophan Hydroxylase / Q000378:metabolism; D014439:Tyramine / Q000502:physiology*; D014661:Vasoconstriction
D012701:Serotonin; D014365:Tryptophan Hydroxylase; D014439:Tyramine