Tissue fluid transport Flashcards
Capillaries
A type of blood vessel present in the circulatory system. They have thin walls which are “leaky”, allowing substances to leave the blood to reach the body’s tissues.
Arteriole
Small blood vessels that carry blood away from your heart.
Venule
Larger than capillaries but smaller than veins. Blood travels from capillaries into venules, which then branches back into the veins ready to lead towards the heart.
Arteries
Transport blood away from the heart to the organs.
Hydrostatic pressure
The pressure exerted by a fluid on the walls of a container.
Osmotic pressure
The pressure that causes the diffusion of water through semi-permeable membranes. It increases due to an increase in the concentration of solutes in the solution.
Lymph vessels
Similar to blood vessels, but they carry lymph, a clear fluid that contains immune cells and waste products, instead of blood.
Extracellular fluid
All body fluid outside the cells of any multicellular organism.
Plasma proteins
Proteins present in blood plasma. They perform many different functions, including transport of hormones, vitamins and minerals in activity and functioning of the immune system.
Exchange site
Specialized structures in the body that allow for the exchange of materials between the body and the environment.
Diffusion gradient
The net movement of particles from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration.
Osmosis
“Osmosis is the movement of free water molecules from an area of high potential to an area of low potential through partially or semi permeable membranes.”
