Animal Physiology

Circulatory System
BITS Pilani
Pilani Campus Syamantak Majumder
Amazing Fact about Circulatory System
Amazing Fact about Circulatory System
If you were to stretch out your blood vessel system,
it would extend over 60,000 miles.
 Circulatory System; Overview
Blood Vessels are intricate networks of hollow tubes that
transport blood throughout the entire body.

Source: http://humananatomybody.info/neck-arteries-model-labeled/
Heart Anatomy and Blood Flow
Dual Pump Action of the Heart
Major Cell Type in Heart
Can we build a whole heart?
Not all reported findings are True
Cardiac Valves
 Cardiac Valves
Eversion of the AV valves is
prevented by tension on the valve
leaflets exerted by the chordae
tendineae when the papillary
muscles contract. When the
semilunar valves are swept
closed, their upturned edges fit
together in a deep, leak proof
seam that prevents valve
eversion.
Heart Valve Disease
Scaffolds for tissue engineering
of cardiac valves
Layers in heart Muscle
Organization of cardiac muscle fibers
Electrical activity of the heart
Major Myocyte Ion Channels
There are two specialized types of
cardiac muscle cells:
1. Contractile cells, which are 99% of the cardiac
muscle cells, do the mechanical work of
pumping. These working cells normally do not
initiate their action potentials.

2. Autorhythmic cells, the small but extremely

important remainder of the cardiac cells, do not
contract but instead are specialized for initiating
and conducting the action potentials
responsible for contraction of the working cells.
 Pacemaker activity of cardiac autorhythmic cells
The first half of the pacemaker
potential is the result of
simultaneous opening of unique
funny channels, which permits
inward Na+ current, and closure
of K+ channels, which reduces
outward K+ current. The second
half of the pacemaker potential
is the result of opening of T-type
Ca2+ channels. Once threshold
is reached, the rising phase of
the action potential is the result
of opening of L-type Ca2+
channels, whereas the falling
phase is the result of opening of
K+ channels.