IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL STUDY OF THE INNERVAT ION OF THE HUMAN NASAL TURBINATE VASCULATURE

The complex vasculature of the human nasal mucosa plays an important r ole in the protection of the lower respiratory airways. It has to reac t to different external and internal stimuli and is under control of t he autonomic nervous system. The aim of our study was to detect the pr ecise localisation of neural structures in human nasal mucosa vessels under physiological conditions. Silver impregnation and histochemical staining techniques only allowed a partial aspect of autonomic innerva tion. Modern immunostaining methods with antibodies to neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and S-100 protein proved to be better for the demonstra tion of nerve structures. Tissue samples were taken from inferior turb inates received at mucotomy in 42 patients. After fixation the samples were embedded in paraffin wax and cut into serial sections. Additiona lly frozen sections were performed. The immunocomplexes were visualise d by the avidin-biotin-complex (ABC) or by the alkaline phosphatase an ti-alkaline phosphatase (APAAP) technique. A high density of S-100 and NSE immunoreactivity of neuronal and glial components of autonomic in nervation could be demonstrated in the vessels of human nasal turbinat es. Branching off relatively thick nerve bundles of the lamina propria fibres extended to the adventitia of the arteries near the periost an d formed a periarterial nerve plexus. Fibres of this plexus supplied t he smooth muscle tissue of the tunica media. Around veins only a few s ingle nerve fibres could be demonstrated. By using immunocytochemical techniques it is possible to correlate the localisation of the classic al neurotransmitters and multiple vasoactive neuropeptides with the co rresponding innervation structures of the complex vasculature in human nasal mucosa.