Structure and Functions of the Major Types of Blood Vessels

(Arteries, Arterioles, Capillaries, Venules, and Veins)

Arteries - carry blood away from the heart to other organs.

a. Elastic arteries
 Largest arteries in the body
 Largest diameter among arteries but their vessel walls are relatively thin compared with
the overall size of the vessel
 These vessels are characterized by well-defined internal and external elastic laminae,
along with a thick tunica media that is dominated by elastic fibers, called the elastic
lamellae
 It includes 2 major trunks that exit the heart (aorta and pulmonary trunk), along with the
aorta’s major initial branches
 Help propel blood onward while the ventricles are relaxing
 As blood is ejected from the heart into elastic arteries, the walls stretch thus easily
accommodating the surge of blood. The elastic fibers momentarily store mechanical
energy, functioning as pressure reservoir. Elastic fibers recoil and convert stored energy
in the vessel into kinetic energy of the blood. So blood continues to move through the
arteries even though the ventricles are relaxed.
 Called conducting arteries because of its ability to conduct blood from the heart to
medium-size, more muscular arteries
b. Muscular arteries (Medium-sized arteries)
 Called muscular arteries because their tunica media contains more smooth muscle and
fewer elastic fibers than elastic arteries.
 Capable of greater vasoconstriction and vasodilation to adjust the rate of blood flow
because the large amount of smooth muscle makes its walls relatively thick
  Have well-defined internal elastic lamina but thin external elastic lamina. These form the
inner and outer boundaries of the muscular tunica media
 Compared to elastic arteries, the vessel wall of muscular arteries comprises a larger
percentage (25%) of the total vessel diameter
 Called distributing arteries because it continue to branch and ultimately distribute blood
to each of the various organs
 Tunica externa is often thicker than tunica media
 It do not have the ability to recoil and help propel the blood like the elastic arteries
because of the reduced amount of elastic tissue in the walls of muscular arteries.
 Vascular tone – the ability of the muscle to contract and maintain a state of partial
contraction, stiffens the vessel wall and is important in maintaining vessel pressure and
efficient blood flow
Arterioles
 Abundant microscopic vessels that regulate the flow of blood into capillary networks of
the body tissues
 Have a thin tunica interna with a thin, fenestrated (with small pores) internal elastic
lamina that disappears at the terminal end
 Metarteriole – terminal end of arteriole, tapers toward the capillary junction
 At metarteriol-capillary junction, distal most muscle cell forms precapillary sphincter –
monitors the blood flow in the capillary
 Other muscle cells regulate resistance to blood flow
 Tunica externa consists of areolar connective tissue containing abundant unmyelinated
sympathetic nerves
 Called resistance vessels because they play a key role in regulating blood flow from
arteries into capillaries by regulating resistance, the opposition to blood flow due to
friction between blood and the walls of blood vessels.
 Resistance is mainly due to the friction between blood and inner walls of blood vessels.
Smaller diameter of blood vessels, greater friction thus greater resistance
 Contraction of smooth muscle causes vasoconstriction – increases the resistance and
decreases blood flow into capillaries supplied by the arteriole
 Relaxation of smooth muscle causes vasodilation – decreases resistance and increases
blood flow into capillaries
 Vasoconstriction of arterioles: increases blood pressure; Vasodilation of arterioles:
decreases blood pressure
Capillaries
 Smallest of blood vessels and form the U-turns that connect the arterial outflow to the
venous return
 Primary function: the exchange of substances between the blood and interstitial fluid
that’s why it is called exchange vessels. Lack both tunic media and tunica externa
 Microcirculation – flow of blood from a metarteriole through capillaries and into
postcapillary venule (venule that receives blood from a capillary)
 Tissues with high metabolic requirements = extensive capillary networks
 Form extensive branching networks that increase the surface area available for rapid
exchange of materials
 Function as a capillary bed – a network of 10-100 capillaries that arises from a single
metarteriole
 Blood can flow through a capillary network from an arteriole into a venule as follows:
a. Capillaries – in this route, blood flows from an arteriole into capillaries and
then into venules. Blood flows intermittently through capillaries due to
alternating contraction and relaxation of the smooth muscle of metarterioles
and the precapillary sphincters (vasomotion).
b. Thoroughfare channel – capillary that resembles the distal end of the vessel
that has no smooth muscle; provides a direct route for blood from an arteriole
to a venule
3 types of capillaries:
a. Continuous capillaries – most capillaries; the plasma membranes of endothelial cells
from a continuous tube that is interrupted only by intercellular clefts (gaps between
neighboring endothelial cells)
b. Fenestrated capillaries – the plasma membranes of the endothelial cells in these
capillaries have many fenestrations (small pores ranging from 70 to 100 nm in
diameter)
c. Sinusoids – wider and more winding than other capillaries, endothelial cells may have
unusually large fenestrations, have very large intercellular clefts that allow proteins
and even blood cells to pass from a tissue into the bloodstream.
Portal system – circulation where blood passes from one capillary network into
another through a vein called portal vein
Venules
 Drain the capillary blood and begin the return flow of blood back toward the heart
 Postcapillary venules – function as significant sites of exchange of nutrients and wastes
and white blood cell emigration, and for this reason form part of the microcirculatory
exchange unit along with the capillaries
 Muscular venules – have thicker walls across which exchanges with the interstitial fluid
can no longer occur
 Thin walls of postcapillary and muscular venules expand and serve as excellent reservoirs
for accumulating large volumes of blood
Veins
 Have very thin walls relative to their total diameter
 Tunica interna and media are thinner than of arteries with relatively little smooth muscle
and elastic fibers
 Tunica externa is the thickest layer and consists of collagen and elastic fibers
  Distensible enough to adapt to variations in the volume and pressure of blood passing
through them, but are not designed to withstand high pressure
 Average blood pressure in veins is considerably lower than in arteries
 Many veins contain valves – thin folds of tunica interna that form flaplike cusps
 Vascular sinus – a vein with a thin endothelial wall that has no smooth muscle to alter in
its diameter; the surrounding dense connective tissue replaces the tunica media and tunica
externa in providing support
 Some veins are paired and accompany medium- to small-sized muscular arteries. These
doublesets of veins escort the arteries and connect with one another via venous channels
called anastomotic veins
 Superficial veins – course through the subcutaneous layer unaccompanied by parallel
arteries
 Superficial veins form small connections with the deep veins that travel between the
skeletal muscles. These connections allow communication between deep and superficial blood
flow
 In the upper limb, superficial veins serve as the major pathway
 In the lower limb, deeps veins serve as the principal return pathways

Blood pressure
 Hydrostatic pressure exerted by blood on the walls of a blood vessel
 Blood flows from regions of higher pressure to regions of lower pressure; the greater the
difference, the greater the blood flow. Contraction of ventricles generates blood pressure.
 Determined by cardiac output, blood volume, and vascular resistance
 Systolic blood pressure – highest pressure attained in arteries during systole
 Diastolic blood pressure – lowest arterial pressure during diastole
 As blood leaves aorta and flows, its pressure falls progressively as distance from left
ventricle increases
 Blood pressure continues to drop as blood enters systemic venules and then veins
 Blood pressure reaches 0 mmHg as blood flows into the right ventricle
 Mean arterial pressure (MAP) – average pressure in arteries
MAP = diastolic BP + 1/3 (systolic BP - diastolic BP)
 Cardiac output (CO) = heart rate x stroke volume
 CO = MAP/R ; MAP = CO x R
 5 liters - normal blood volume in an adult. BP depends on the total vol. of blood in the
cardiovascular system
 Homeostatic mechanisms – help maintain blood pressure