Perivascular innervation: a multiplicity of roles in vasomotor control and myoendothelial signaling.

The control of vascular resistance and tissue perfusion reflect coordinated changes in the diameter of feed arteries and the arteriolar networks they supply. Against a background of myogenic tone and metabolic demand, vasoactive signals originating from perivascular sympathetic and sensory nerves are integrated with endothelium-derived signals to produce vasodilation or vasoconstriction. PVNs release adrenergic, cholinergic, peptidergic, purinergic, and nitrergic neurotransmitters that lead to SMC contraction or relaxation via their actions on SMCs, ECs, or other PVNs. ECs release autacoids that can have opposing actions on SMCs. Respective cell layers are connected directly to each other through GJs at discrete sites via MEJs projecting through holes in the IEL. Whereas studies of intercellular communication in the vascular wall have centered on endothelium-derived signals that govern SMC relaxation, attention has increasingly focused on signaling from SMCs to ECs. Thus, via MEJs, neurotransmission from PVNs can evoke distinct responses from ECs subsequent to acting on SMCs. To integrate this emerging area of investigation in light of vasomotor control, the present review synthesizes current understanding of signaling events that originate within SMCs in response to perivascular neurotransmission in light of EC feedback. Although often ignored in studies of the resistance vasculature, PVNs are integral to blood flow control and can provide a physiological stimulus for myoendothelial communication. Greater understanding of these underlying signaling events and how they may be affected by aging and disease will provide new approaches for selective therapeutic interventions.