CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM

The walls of larger blood vessels contain three basic structural components (tissues):
• Endothelium – a simple squamous epithelium found in the intima
• Smooth muscle and elastic fibers – forms the tunica media
• Fibrous Connective tissue – with some elastic fibers in addition to collagen fibers
consist the tunica externa

ARTERIES: There are three types of arteries in the body:

• elastic arteries - also called large arteries

- largest blood vessels in the body and include the pulmonary trunk
and aorta with their major branches, the brachiocephalic, common carotid,
subclavian, vertebral, pulmonary, and common iliac arteries

• muscular arteries – medium-sized arteries or distributing arteries

- large elastic arteries branch and become medium-sized muscular arteries, the
most numerous vessels in the body

• arterioles
- smallest branches of the arterial system
- deliver blood to the smallest blood vessels, the capillaries

Structural Plan of Arteries

Tunica Intima
- consists of three sublayers:
Endothelium – simple squamous epithelium
Subendothelial connective tissue – thin layer of connective tissue
Internal elastic membrane (IEM) - two thin, wavy bands of elastic fibers
- separates the tunica intima and the tunica media
- this layer is not seen in smaller arteries
 Tunica Media
- composed primarily of smooth muscle fibers, with scattered variable amounts of
elastic and reticular fibers.
- the external elastic lamina (EEM) separates tunica media from adventitia
- primarily seen in large muscular arteries

Tunica Adventitia or Externa

- composed mainly of collagen type I and elastic connective tissue fibers

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ARTERIAL WALL (Fig. 1)

• Internal elastic membrane (IEM) appears scalloped or corrugated after death
(rigor mortis)
• Appears rigid or stable even after death.
• Tunica media is the thickest layer
• Thickness of the wall is greater than diameter of lumen- thick wall, small lumen

thick tunica
media

vessel is not
collapsed

thick and scalloped IEM

rigid wall

Fig. 1
 Histologic Features of Elastic Arteries (Fig.2 and Fig. 3)
• Tunica intima is thick, although IEM is not recognizable
• Tunica media is the thickest layer, consists mainly of elastic fibers with few smooth
muscle fibers

Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Histologic Features of Muscular Arteries (Fig. 4 and Fig. 5)

• Tunica intima has thick internal elastic membrane
• Tunica media is the thickest layer, contains up to 40 layers of smooth muscle cells,
arranged in a circular pattern, with few elastic fibers
• External elastic membrane is prominent only in larger muscular arteries

Fig. 4 Fig. 5
Histologic Features of Arterioles. (Fig. 6)
• Tunica media may have only two or
three medial layers of smooth muscle cells

Fig. 6

CAPILLARIES:
- composed of single layer of endothelial cells
rolled up in the form of a tube

Fig. 7

VEINS: Structural Plan of Veins (Fig. 7 and 8)

Tunica Intima
- large veins exhibit a prominent endothelium and subendothelial connective

Tunica Media
- the muscular layer is much less prominent;
- in large veins, the muscular tunica media is thin, and the smooth muscles
intermix with connective tissue fibers

Tunica Adventitia or Externa

- in large veins, the tunica adventitia is the thickest and best-developed layer of
the three tunics
- longitudinal bundles of smooth muscle fibers are common in the connective
tissue of this layer

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF VENOUS WALL (Fig. 7 and 8)

• IEM is not scalloped after rigor mortis.

• Appears collapsed after death.
• Tunica adventitia is the thickest layer.
• Diameter of the lumen is greater than thickness of its wall – big lumen, thin wall
• Small-sized and medium-sized veins, particularly in the extremities, have valves.
Valves consist of semilunar folds that project from the tunica intima of most veins to prevent backflow of blood due
to low pressure of blood in the vein.
Valves are absent in veins of the central nervous system, the inferior and superior venae cavae, and viscera.
 Fig. 8 Fig. 9

THE HEART

Endocardium
- has a surface layer of flattened endothelial cells supported by a layer of fibrous
connective tissue with some elastic fibers and merges with adjacent Purkinje
fibers (Fig. 9)
Purkinje cells / fibers - specialised conducting fibres found in the sub-endocardium which extend from the
interventricular septum, to the papillary muscles, and up the lateral walls of the ventricles.

Myocardium
- made up of cardiac muscle cells. (Fig. 10)

Fig. 10 Fig. 11
References:

Eroschenko, V. (2008). diFiore’s Atlas of Histology with Functional Correlations 11th Edition.
Baltimore MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. E-book
Retrieved from https://www.pdfdrive.com/

Mescher, A. (2010). Junqueira’s Basic Histology 2nd Edition. Asia: McGraw-Hill Companies.
Histology World – Chapter 9 Cardiovascular System.

Young, B., O’Dowd, G., & Woodford, P. (2014). Wheater’s Functional Histology – A Text
and Colour Atlas 6th Edition. Philadelphia, PA: Churchill Livingstone.

Histology Guide – Circulatory System

https://www.histology.leeds.ac.uk/circulatory/heart_purkinje.php

HUMAN STRUCTURE VIRTUAL HISTOLOGY

https://vmicro.iusm.iu.edu/hs_vm/toc.htm

References for images:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Human_Heart_and_Circulatory_System.png

Fig. 1
http://stevegallik.org/sites/histologyolm.stevegallik.org/htmlpages/HOLM_Chapter10_Page04.html

Fig. 2 and Fig. 5

https://www.slideshare.net/MehulTandel/histology-of-blood-vessels

Fig. 3
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/histological-section-elastic-artery-human-aorta-146347532

Fig. 4
https://br.pinterest.com/pin/47498971046174439/

Fig. 6
https://vmicro.iusm.iu.edu/hs_vm/docs/lab9_5.htm

Fig. 7
https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/271834527478545196/
Fig. 8
https://www.thinglink.com/scene/850766836935950337

Fig. 9
https://www.memorangapp.com/flashcards/169666/Histology+of+the+Vascular+System+8%2F22/

Fig. 10
https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/643944446689870515/?amp_client_id=CLIENT_ID(_)&mweb_unauth_i
d={{default.session}}&simplified=true

Fig. 11
https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/369928556873432028/

Prepared By:
Dr. F. M. Tan