Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide receptor-like immunoreactivity in human sweat glands.

Human sweat and sebaceous glands were studied immunohistochemically with a monoclonal antibody recognizing a vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) receptor. The staining pattern correlated well with the known distribution of sympathetic VIP-containing nerves in the human skin. The luminal cell layer of the sweat gland ducts and some acinar cells of the secretory coil of eccrine sweat glands were the major sites of VIP receptor-like immunoreactivity. From these findings and the known pharmacological actions of VIP it is concluded that a major role of VIP released from sympathetic nerves in the skin is to regulate chloride reabsorption from the primary sweat at the ductal segment.