Microcirculation (Exam 1) Flashcards
What is the #1 function of microcirculation?
the transport of nutrients to the tissues and the removal of cell excreta
which vessels control blood flow to each tissue
small arterioles (local conditions)
True/False: microcirculation is not based on needs
False - it is controlled by what the tissue requirements are
What are capillary walls made of?
-single-layer, highly permeable endothelial cells
-surrounded by a thin basement membrane
how far is a capillary from any functional cell of the body?
no more than 20-30 micrometers
-any further and no diffusion can occur
what are metarterioles?
-terminal arterioles
**they do not have tunica media –> replaced w/ single smooth muscle fibers that encircle the vessel at intermittent points
where does pressure drop the most?
at the metarterioles
do arterioles have muscle cells?
YES, they are highly muscular
what is a precapillary sphincter?
a single smooth muscle fiber that usually encircles an entire capillary vessel
-responsible for opening and closing the vessel
What are collateral arteries?
extra arteries that are going to the same capillary
How can you grow more collateral arteries?
Exercise
what is the general flow of microcirculation?
artery –> arteriole –> metarteriole –> capillary –> collecting venule –> small venule
we don’t need to know all the numbers, but roughly how big are the vessels involved in microcirculation?
<30 nanometers
what are the two modifications that connect the interior of a capillary with the exterior?
-intercellular cleft
-caveola
what is an intercellular cleft?
-a thin slitted channel for easy diffusion
-located at the junction b/w adjacent cells
**most water soluble substances diffuse here
what is a caveola?
-small membrane invaginations also called plasmalemmal vesicles
-have a role in endocytosis and transcytosis
-transport macromolecules
contain caveolins
what are caveolins?
proteins that interact w/ cholesterol and polymerize to form the caveolae
what are the 3 types of normal capillary vessels?
-continuous
-fenestrated
-sinusoidal
What makes capillaries in the brain different?
they have tight junctions
where do capillary cells have the widest junctions? why is the necessary?
-liver, bone marrow, spleen
-so all dissolved substances of the plasma (like proteins) can pass from the blood
what is vasomotion?
the intermittent contraction of the metarterioles and precapillary sphincters
Why does vasomotion occur?
bc blood usually doesn’t flow continuously through the capillaries
based off of needs
what is the biggest factor in vasomotion?
oxygen concentration of the tissues
-increase oxygen usage –> increase time that the capillaries are open (decrease vasomotion)
True/false: when determining rate of flow, pressure, and transfer of substances we use averages
TRUE
capillaries are so small so they get grouped by the tissue they are going to
which direction does diffusion occur?
both in and out of the capillaries –> creates continual mixing b/w plasma and interstitial fluid
what substances get diffused easily?
electrolytes
nutrients
metabolic waste products
where do lipid-soluble substances diffuse (o2 + co2)
through the cell membranes
where do water-soluble substances diffuse
the intercellular pores
what is the interstitium
-spaces between cells
-1/6 total volume of the body
-contains interstitial fluid
what is the interstitial fluid made of?
it’s basically just plasma but w/ less proteins
-derived by filtration and diffusion from the capillaries