Respiratory System

by Manash K. Paul

This ppt is for teaching purpose only

 Respiratory System
Respiratory System is a series of
organs responsible for taking in oxygen
and expelling carbon dioxide. Nasal
Cavitiy
1. Conducting (Transports air) Pharyn
• Nasal Cavities (NC) x
• Pharynx Larynx
• Larynx Trache
a
• Trachea Bronchi
• Bronchi
Bronchiole
2. Respiratory (gas exchange) Lung

This ppt is for teaching purpose only

 The trachea

Windpipe

~ 4 inches long and less than an inch in diameter in most people. Begins

just under the larynx (voice box) and runs down behind the
breastbone (sternum).

20 rings of tough cartilage. The back part of each ring is made of

muscle and connective tissue.

Divides into two smaller tubes called bronchi: one bronchus for each
lung.

This ppt is for teaching purpose only

 Histology of Trachea
Transverse section of trachea

C-shaped Ciliated

Basal Cell: BC, Club cell: Club, Goblet Cell: GC

Cartilage Cell

Epithelium
GC

BM BC
 Structure of Airway Epithelium
The airway epithelium plays a critical role in maintaining the conduit for air
to and from the alveoli. It is central to the defenses of the lung against
pathogens and particulates inhaled from the environment, with the combined
function of secretory and ciliated cells maintaining efficient
mucociliary clearance, and a variety of other host defense processes
Pseudostratified columnar epithelium
(see previous page)

The diagram to the right illustrates the

organization of the epithelial cells and
submucosal glands in the trachea.

Important cell types

• Basal cells
• Columnar ciliated cells
• Goblet cells
T
h
 Airway Epithelial Cells
Basal cells are considered as the airway stem cells
Ciliated cells maintaining efficient mucociliary clearance. Cilia beats
upwards extruding the mucus enveloped dust as sputum
Goblet cells release mucus. Under the epithelium are submucosal glands that
secrete both mucus and fluid. Secretory cell number reduces in small airway.
Adult humans produces about 125 ml of mucus daily
Club or Clara cells are secretory cells as the airways branch from large to small
airways. Serous secretion includes glycoprotein, polysaccharide and
bacterosidic proteins
Progenitor cell Club cell

DNA metabolic pulse-labeling Ciliated cell Goblet cell

studies show that both basal

and columnar secretory cell
populations of the
pseudostratified epithelium Basal cell
divide

Fibroblast
Stroma, blood vessel, nerve and immune cells
 Airway Epithelial Cells

Eur Respir J 10: 1655–1662, 1997.

Airway Epithelial Cells

http://depts.washington.edu/envh/lung.html
Airway Mucous blanket

http://depts.washington.edu/envh/lung.htm
 Conducting Airways
Main, Secondary and Tertiary Bronchi;
Bronchioles and Alveoli Right bronchus Left bronchus

Secondary bronchus
Bronchi:
Structurally similar to the trachea. C-shaped
cartilage rings are replaced by cartilage plates.
Smooth muscle fibers completely encircle the
wall, interior to the cartilage layer.
The right bronchus is slightly larger than the left
one. Because of this, foreign objects breathed into
the lungs often end up in the right bronchus. The
bronchi are lined with the same type of mucus Tertiary bronchus
that lines the rest of the respiratory tract. Alveoli

Each bronchus is further divided into five smaller, secondary bronchi, which
provide air to the lobes of the lungs. The secondary bronchi continue to
branch off to form the tertiary bronchi, which are further divided into
terminal bronchioles. There are as many as 30,000 tiny bronchioles in each
lung. They lead to the alveoli by way of alveolar ducts.
The alveoli are responsible for the primary function of the lungs, which is
exchanging carbon dioxide and oxygen.
 Pulmonary Anatomy

Airway cast-trimmed. Airway cast-untrimmed.

http://depts.washington.edu/envh/slide17.gif
 The Respiratory Segment

A higher power view of the bronchus shows the epithelium (E) of

mainly pseudostratified ciliated columnar cells with a few goblet cells.

Typical section of lung tissue including many bronchioles, some of

which are respiratory bronchioles (RB) cut lengthwise, and showing the Bronchial branches less than about 5 mm in diameter lack
branching continuity with alveolar ducts (AD) and sacs (AS). supporting cartilage and are called bronchioles
 The Respiratory Segment
An alveolus (plural: alveoli) is a hollow cavity found in the lung
parenchyma, and is the basic unit of respiration.

Respiratory Bronchioles branch to form alveolar ducts and alveoli

Alveolar ducts give off alveoli

Alveolar sacs: spaces surrounded by clusters of alveoli

Alveoli: sites of gas exchange with the blood as well.

The alveolar membrane is the gas-exchange surface. CO2 rich blood is
pumped from the rest of the body into the alveolar blood vessels
where, through diffusion, it releases its CO2 and absorbs oxygen.
http://antranik.org/the-respiratory-system/
The Respiratory Segment

http://depts.washington.edu/envh/slide17.gif
 The Cells of the Respiratory Segment
Type I Alveolar epithelium
Cuboidal, lines alveoli, thin flat cells, extended gas exchange surface Gas
exchange between blood

Type II Alveolar epithelium

Responds to damage of the vulnerable type I cell by dividing and acting as a
progenitor cell for both type I and type II cells.
Synthesizes, stores and releases pulmonary surfactant and acts to
optimize conditions for gas exchange.

Club Cells
Goblet Cells

Alveolar
Macrophage
• Two
major
classes of
lung
The Cells of the Respiratory Segment
Type I and Type II Cells: comparision
Type I Type II

They are roughly cuboidal in

Flattened Squamous cells
shape
Line the alveolar surfaces and
Interspersed among the type I
are extremely attenuated
alveolar cells with which they
have occluding and
Make up 97% of the alveolar
desmosome junctions
surface
Make up 3% of the alveolar
Have occluding junctions and
surface
desmosomes
Contains lamellar bodies that
store pulmonary surfactants
 Type I and Type II Cells: comparision

TEM of a transversely sectioned capillary (C) in an

interalveolar septum shows areas for gas exchange between blood
and air in three alveoli TEM of a type II alveolar cell protruding into the alveolar lumen
Mechanism of gas exchange
 Mechanism of gas exchange
The purpose of the respiratory system is to perform gas exchange.

Partial preassure: The pressure exerted by each type of gas in a

mixture

Concentration of a gas in a liquid determined by its partial pressure and its

solubility coefficient

Ventilation: Movement of air into and out of the lungs,

Perfusion: Flow of blood in the pulmonary capillaries.

Hemoglobin: Iron-containing substance in red blood cells that

transports oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body; it consists of a
protein (globulin) and heme (a porphyrin ring with iron at its center)

Oxyhemoglobin: the form of hemoglobin, loosely combined with

oxygen, present in arterial and capillary blood
 Mechanism of gas exchange
Basic Composition of Air
• 79% Nitrogen
• 21% Oxygen .
• ~ 0% Carbon Dioxide

• In a mixture of gases, each gas exerts a partial pressure proportional to its

mole fraction

Total Pressure = sum of the partial pressures of each gas

Total Pressure (at sea level)

Pbarometric = 760 mm Hg

Each gas has a specific

solubility
O2 Solubility coefficient = 0.003 ml/100 ml Blood
C02 = 0.06 ml/100 ml Blood (x 20 of 02)
Mechanism of gas exchange
THANKS