Jump to content

what type o tissue makes up blod vessels?


Recommended Posts

Posted

As far as I understand, all vessels have three layers, the tunica intima, tunica media, and tunica adventitia. The tunica intima is the internal layer and mainly consists of a layer of endothelial cells. This is the layer that is in contact with the blood and prevents clotting of blood while the endothelial layer is undamaged. The tunica media comes next and consists of elastic fibers, connective tissue, potentially smooth muscles. This layer is typically the thickest. The outer layer is the tunica adventitia and is also composed of connective tissue. I believe the relative thicknesses and compositions of the different layers depends on where in the circulatory system they occur. Thus, arteries, as pressure vessels, require a thicker tunica media (more elastic fibers, etc.)

Posted

One point to add, the capillaries only contain endothelial cells, and, in fact, are only one cell thick. This maximizes nutrient and waste exchange, and allows for diapedesis, when needed.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.