Sections of the heart and blood

vessels
Tunica intima:
Layer of the endothelial cells, underneath basal lamina
Subendothelial layer: loose connective tissue with some smooth
muscle
Tunica media:
Smooth muscle cells and elastic and reticular fibers, collagen type
I, proteoglycans
no characteristic or absent in veins
Tunica adventitia:
mainly consists of connective tissue (longitudinally arranged collagen
and elastic fibers, collagen type III)
well-developed in veins (smooth muscle cells can be found)
Vasa vasorum, vascular nerves

In muscular arteries internal elastic lamina (I. E. L.) separates the t.

media from t. intima. Between the t. media and t. adventitia, the
external elastic lamina (E. E. L.) is found.
T. intima:
endothelial cells, basal lamina
subendothelium: loose connective tissue,
collagen and elastic fibers.
T. media:
30-70 concentrically arranged elastic laminae
smooth muscle, some collagen fibers and
fibrocytes.
T. adventitia:
poorly developed, longitudinal collagen fibers,
reticular fibers, fibrocytes.
vasa vasorum, vascular nerves
- Increasing number of muscle cells, decreasing amount of fibers

T. intima: endothelial layer, basal lamina,

subendothelial layer

I. E. L.: between t. intima and media, irregular, wavy lines

(orcein and resorcin-fuchsin stain the lamina)

T. media: concentrically oriented smooth muscle cells intermingled with

some elastic and collagen fibers and fibrocytes

T. adventitia: E. E. L.: in larger arteries, longitudinal elastic fibers

poorly developed, collagen fibers, fibrocytes, fat cells

vasa vasorum, vascular nerves
1. Continuous / somatic capillaries
basal lamina is continuous
Skeletal muscle, lungs, connective tissue, brain
2.a Fenestrated / visceral capillaries with diaphragm
large feneastrae in the wall of endothelial cells
their diamater is between 60-70 nm
Diaphragm (macromolecular filter)
Intense interchange of substances: resorptive epithelium of small
intestine, epihtelium of renal tubuli, epihtelium of the endocrine
organs
2.b Fenestrated capillaries without diaphragm
Basal lamina is thick
Renal glomeruli
3. Discontinuous sinusoidal capillaries
Enlarged diameter, irregular shape
maybe with pores
Liver, lymph node, spleen
- They have thinner wall, bigger lumen than the arteries have

T. intima: - endothel layer,

basal lamina
subendothelial layer
- at the border of the t. media, there is an increasing
number of the elastic fibers
T. media: - thin layer
- the smooth muscle cells are loosely situated,
- collagen fibers and fibrocytes
T. adventitia: - the widest layer of the veins, rich of elastic fibers
- longitudinal smooth muscle cells in the large veins
- vasa vasorum (vessels of the vessels)
To study the structure of the wall of the
different blood vessels
20. Aorta (HE), 4X

Subendothelium

Intima

Media

Adventitia
Vasa vasorum
 Endothelial cells

Intima

Media

20. Aorta (HE), 20X

21. Aorta (resorcin-fuchsin), 4X

Intima

Media

Adventitia
21. Aorta (resorcin-fuchsin), 20X
Intima

Media

Elastic laminas
22. Artery-vein (HE), 4X

Artery

Vein
22. Artery-vein (HE), 20X
Subendothelium I. E. L.

Intima

Smooth
muscle cells
Media

E. E. L.
Adventitia
22. Artery-vein (HE), 20X

Lumen of a vein

Intima

Media

Adventitia

Vasa Vasorum
23. Artery-vein (orcein), 4X

Artery

Vein
 Intima
I. E.M.
Lumen of an artery
Media

E. E. M.

Adventitia

23. Artery-vein (orcein), 20X

Intima

Media

Adventitia

23. Artery-vein (orcein), 40X

Less prominent striation
Morphological unit: branching / Y-shape
muscle cells (junctional complexes: gap
junction, intercalated disc / Eberth s line)
Types: working muscle
propagating system
To study of the morphological unit of cardiac
muscle
15. Cardiac muscle (HE), 40X
Eberth s lines

capillary
16. Cardiac muscle (iron-hematoxilin), 40X

Eberth s lines

capillary