Autonomic nervous system in human palatine tonsil.
The autonomic nervous system in the human palatine tonsil was studied systematically as follows: 1) Using the radio binding assay method, the presence of beta-adrenergic receptors and muscarinic-cholinergic receptors was demonstrated in the tonsil. 2) Using high performance liquid chromatography, the quantity of catecholamines in the tonsillar tissue was determined for the first time. 3) The distributions of sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves in the tonsillar tissue were demonstrated by fluorescence- or enzyme-histochemistry. 4) Cases of habitual tonsillitis were compared with cases of simple tonsillitis concerning the quantities of beta-adrenergic receptors and catecholamines. As a result, the difference in quantity of beta-adrenergic receptors between the two was insignificant, but the quantity of catecholamine was greater in the former.