Exchange in, and control of, the Peripheral Circulation Flashcards
What is the point where one endothelial cell meets another known as?
Junction
What is a tight junction?
Endothelial cells are pressed very tightly together and this stops anything moving across.
Give an example of a tight junction.
Blood brain barrier.
In the vast majority of capillaries, there is a gap between the endothelial cells. What is this gap known as?
A cleft
What can be diffused over clefts?
Water and some dissolved solutes.
What cannot diffuse across a cleft?
Macromolecules, like proteins
How do macromolecules get transported across endothelial cells?
Via transcytosis.
What are the structures which carry macromolecules across during transcytosis known as?
Pores
What is between endothelial cells?
What is across endothelial cells?
Between= clefts
Across= pores
Name the three types of capillaries.
Continuous
Fenestrated
Discontinuous
Describe continuous capillaires.
No clefts or pores e.g. brain (hence the blood-brain barrier)
or
May only have clefts, like in muscle
Why is the blood brain barrier important?
Prevents things getting into the brain.
Protects brain from changes in potassium ion conc. which could alter the activity of the brain.
Describe fenestrated capillaries.
Clefts and pores
Specialised for fluid exchange
Give an example of fenestrated capillaries.
Intestine and kidneys
Describe discontinuous capillaries.
Has clefts and massive pores
Give an example of where you might find a discontinuous capillary.
Liver
Why are there discontinuous capillaries in the liver?
Massive pores which allow protein into the liver
Most exchange in capillaries happens via which process?
Diffusion
Describe the diffusion process of oxygen from capillaries to cells.
Oxygen moves down it’s conc. gradient into the extracellular fluid.
Oxygen moves from ECF to the cells, again going down it’s conc. gradient.
List the reasons why diffusion is suitable for capillaries.
Self-regulating
Non-saturable
Non-polar substances across the phospholipid membrane
Polar substances through clefts/pores
Describe what is meant by diffusion being a self-regulating process.
If oxygen levels are low, like during exercise, the conc. gradient will increase and more oxygen will flow from the capillary->ECF->cells
List some non-polar substances.
Oxygen and carbon dioxide
Give an example of a polar substance.
Water
How will carbon dioxide and oxygen get across?
Via dissuion.
How will water get across the membrane?
Via clefts and pores.
Give an example of a glucose mediated transporter.
Glucose transporter.
->brain required glucose but cannot diffuse across because of the blood brain barrier.
The majority of exchange happens via diffusion but how else can exchange occur?
In bulk flow
What is bulk flow determined by?
Starling’s forces
Which type of pressure can push water out of the clefts and pores of the endothelial cells in a capillary?
Hydrostatic pressure
Which type of pressure brings water back into the capillary via clefts and pores of the endothelial cell when concentration gets too high?
Osmotic pressure
How can we work out the balance between hydrostatic pressure and osmotic pressure?
By working out net filtration pressure
(Difference in hydrostatic pressure between capillaries and ISF) - (Difference in osmotic pressure between the capillaries and ISF)