Blood Vessels Flashcards
What is the tunica intima?
The innermost layer of a blood vessel –> single layer of endothelial cells
What is the tunica externa?
The outermost layer of a blood vessel
What is a capillary?
Any of the small blood vessels that connect arteries to veins
What is the tunica media?
The middle layer of a blood vessel
What is the anastomosis?
The junction between blood vessels
How many tissue layers are arteries and veins composed of?
3 tissue layers
What is the tunica externa made of?
Connective tissue
What is the tunica externa surrounded by?
External elastic lamina which functions to anchor vessels with surrounding tissues
Why is the tunica externa often thicker in veins?
Prevent collapse of blood vessel and provide protection from damage since veins may be superficially loaded
Where is the tunica media?
Surrounds the tunica intima
What is the tunica media comprised of?
Smooth muscle cells and elastic and connective tissues arranged circularly around vessel
Why is the tunica media in arteries especially rich in smooth muscle cells?
Helps control caliber of vessel to maintain blood pressure
What is the external elastic membrane/laminar?
Thick elastic band separating tunica externa and tunica media
What is the internal elastic membrane/laminar?
Elastic band separating tunica media and tunica intima (endothelium)
Predominantly elastic in aorta, predominantly muscular in smooth muscle cells
Do veins have an external elastic laminar?
No, only an internal one
What is the tunica intima?
The inner layer and thinnest layer
What is the tunica intima formed from?
A single continuous layer of endothelial cells and supported by a subendothelial layer of connective tissue and supportive cells
In smaller arterioles and venules, what is the sub endothelial layer supporting the tunica intima like?
Single layer cells but can be much thicker in large vessels such as the aorta
What do capillaries consist of?
A single layer of endothelium and associated connective tissue
Describe route from arteries all the way back to veins
- Arteries carry blood away from heart
- Branch into smaller arterioles throughout body
- Eventually form capillary network (gas exchange)
- Capillaries merge into venules
- Then into larger veins which carry blood back to heart
Are valves present in arteries or veins?
Present in valves not arteries
Why are valves not present in arteries?
Blood is pumped under pressure from heart so backflow cannot occur
Why do veins have valves?
Passing through the capillary network results in a decrease in blood pressure meaning backflow of blood is possible. To counteract this, veins contain numerous one-direction valves to prevent backflow.
What are the lumina like in venules compared to arterioles?
Larger lumina and thinner walls
Describe the structure of venules
Clear tunica intima layer without any elastic fibres (composed of squamous endothelial cells that act as membrane)
A tunica media with one or two layers of muscle fibres (middle layer is poorly developed so venules have thinner walls than arterioles)
Tunia externa fuses with surrounding tissue
Describe the structure of veins
Tunica intima
Tunica media
Tunica externa/adventitia (broadest layer)
What is the return of blood to the heart assisted by?
The action of the skeletal-muscle pump. As muscles move, they squeeze veins running through them.
Most veins carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart. What are the 2 exceptions to this?
Pulmonary and umbilical veins both carry oxygenated blood
What are the 3 main types of arteries?
- Elastic arteries
- Muscular arteries
- Arterioles
What are the elastic arteries?
Receive blood directly from heart –> the aorta and pulmonary artery
Why do elastic arteries need to be elastic?
Relatively thin compared to diameter:
- When heart contracts and ejects blood into these arteries, the walls need to stretch to accomoate pressure
What is the arteriole hydrostatic pressure that results from ventricular contraction
Systolic blood pressure
Between heart contractions, what happens to elastic walls of arteries?
Elastic walls recoin to maintain blood pressure (continues to move blood even when ventricles are relaxed)
What is the arterial hydrostatic pressure between contractions called?
The diastolic blood pressure
What is tunica media like in elastic arteries?
Broad and elastic with sheets of elastin and only few smooth muscle fibres
What is one of the first signs of atherosclerosis?
Tunica intima has fibroblasts and ‘myointimal cells’ that accumulate lipid with ageing, and the intima layer thickens, one of the first signs of atherosclerosis.
Picture of difference in arteries and veins
What are the muscular arteries?
Distribute blood to various parts of the body. These include arteries such as the femoral and coronary arteries.
What do the walls of muscular arteries have lots of and why?
Have lots of smooth muscle, which means that they are able to contract or relax (dilate) to change the amount of blood delivered, as needed
Describe the difference in structure between muscular and elastic arteries
- Sheets of elastin reduced in muscular
- Internal elastic layer between tunica intima and tunica media
- External elastic layer between tunica media and tunica externa (less well defined)
- Well defined layer of smooth muscle in tunica media (in muscular)
What are arterioles?
Small arteries that deliver blood to capillaries
How do arterioles control blood flow through capillary beds?
Contract and dilate size of lumen –> the tunica media layer contains concentric rings of smooth muscle to do this
What is the tunica intima like in arterioles?
Very thin and mostly consists of a single layer of squamous epithelium
What does elastic recoil of vascular wall help?
To maintain pressure gradient that drives blood through the arterial system
Picture of the different structures of the 3 types of arteries
What happens to structure of arteries farther from the heart?
The % of elastic fibres in an artery’s tunica intima decreases and the amount of smooth muscle in its tunica media increases (muscular artery)
What does the thick tunica media in muscular arteries allow? What does their decreased quantity of elastic fibres limit?
Vasoconstriction
Limits their ability to expand
What is general appearance of arteries?
Thick walls with small lumens
Generally appear rounded
What is general appearance of veins?
Thin walls with large lumens
Generally appear flattened