A&P 19: The Cardiovascular System - Blood Vessels Flashcards
Blood vessels
closed delivery system that begins and ends at the heart
Arteries
vessels that carry blood away from the heart
Veins
vessels that carry blood toward the heart
Lumen
innermost tunic of blood vessel walls
Tunica intima
innermost tunic of blood vessels
Endothelium
simple squamous epithelium that lines the lumen of all vessels; continuous with the endocardial lining of the heart; provides a flat, slick surface that minimizes friction as blood moves through the lumen
Tunica media
middle tunic; mostly circularly arranged smooth muscle cells and sheets of elastin
Vasoconstriction
lumen diameter decreases as the smooth muscle contracts
Vasodilation
lumen diameter increases as the smooth muscle relaxes
Tunica externa
outermost layer of a blood vessel wall; AKA tunica adventicia; composed largely of loosely woven collagen fibers that protect and reinforce the vessel, and anchor it to surrounding structures
Vasa vasorum
system of tiny blood vessels that nourish the more external tissues of the blood vessel wall
Elastic arteries
thick-walled arteries near the heart (aorta and its major branches); AKA conducting arteries
Muscular arteries
arteries that deliver blood to specific body organs; AKA distributing arteries; have the thickest tunica media of all vessels; have an elastic membrane on each face of the tunica media
Arterioles
smallest of the arteries
Capillaries
microscopic; smallest blood vessels; exceedingly thin walls consist of just a thin tunica intima
Pericytes
spider-shaped; smooth muscle-like cells that stabilize the capillary wall and help control capillary permeability
Continuous capillaries
most common capillaries; abundant in the skin and muscles; endothelial cells are joined by tight junctions
Intercellular clefts
gaps of unjoined membrane in tight junctions, just large enough to allow limited passage of fluids and small solutes
Fenestrated capillaries
endothelial cells in these capillaries are riddled with oval pores; found wherever active capillary absorption or filtrate formation occurs
Sinusoid capillaries (sinusoids)
highly modified, leaky capillaries found only in the liver, bone marrow, spleen, and adrenal medulla; have large, irregularly shaped lumens, usually fenestrated
Stellate macrophages
hepatic macrophages which remove and destroy bacteria in the endothelium of the sinusoid lining in the liver
Capillary beds
interweaving networks of capillaries
Microcirculation
flow of blood from an arteriole to a venule
Terminal arteriole
artery feeding the capillary beds