Arteries
consist of three layers of different types of cells:
1. the innermost, intima,
2. the media,
3. the outermost, adventitia.
A. The intima is comprised of a single layer of endothelial cells
embedded in an extracellular matrix.
B. The
media is separated from the intima by the internal elastic lamina,and
consists of smooth muscle cells,elastic laminae,bundles of collagen
fibers and elastic fibrils,all embedded in an extracellular
matrix.
C. The
adventitia is the most variable layer, containing dense fibroelastic
tissue, nutrient vessels, and nerves.
The
actual composition of each of these layers varies with the type
of blood vessel.
Large
conduit arteries are referred to as elastic ones,because of
their high ratio of elastic laminae to smooth muscle cells.
Muscular arteries are smaller and have a prevalence of smooth
muscle cells
Arterioles consist of only one or two layers of smooth muscle
cells.
The
smallest vessels are the capillaries,made up of a single layer
of endothelial cells, that are occasionally apposed to pericytes-smooth
muscle-cells that serve a contractile function.
The
venous system has a similar architecture to that of the arterial
system above,the main difference being the orientation of the
smooth muscle cells within the wall.
The two most important cell types in the vascular system are
the endothelial cell and the vascular smooth muscle cell.
The
endothelial cell is generally oriented with the direction of
blood flow parallel to the main axis of the vessel. Endothelial
cells are held together by junctional complexes that regulate
permeability and control cell-to-cell communication.
The
smooth cell is a spindle-shaped cell, whose orientation varies
with the artery,but is generally helical in large, elastic arteries
and concentric in muscular arteries.