Cardiovascular Histology Layers:

 Endocardium (tunica intima)

Circulatory System: Generalities o normally a thin layer in the ventricle
 mediates continuous movement of all body fluids o single layer of flattened endothelial cells
 transport of oxygen and nutrients to the tissues as  Myocardium (tunica media)
well as transport of carbon dioxide and metabolic o Cardiac-type muscle (striated, branching)
waste products from the tissues o Very prominent in the left ventricle
 temperature regulation and the distribution of (pumping capacity); less thick in the atria
molecules and cells and right ventricle
 Two functional components: o Origin of the papillary muscles:
o Blood vascular  extensions of the myocardium
o Lymph vascular which protrude into the left
ventricular cavity
Components of the Blood and Lymph Circulatory System  attachment for chordae tendinae
 The blood circulatory system is comprised of: (tether the cusps of the atrio-
o Heart – central muscular pump ventricular valves )
o Arterial system – provides distribution  Epicardium/Visceral Pericardium (tunica adventitia)
network to the peripheral microcirculation
o Microcirculation – capillaries and
postcapillary venules; main sites of gas and
metabolite exchange
o Venous system – carries blood back to the
heart
 Lymph vascular system:
o Network of drainage vessels for returning
excess extravascular fluid (lymph)
o transporting lymph to the lymph nodes for
immunological screening
o no central pump; with an intrinsic pumping
system:
 contractile smooth muscle fibers in
the lymph vessel walls + valve
system (prevent backflow)
Epicardium
Structure of the Circulatory System
Tunica intima single layer of extremely
flattened epithelial cells
(endothelial cells) +
basement membrane and
collagenous tissue
Tunica media Intermediate predominantly
muscle layer
Tunica adventitia Outer supporting tissue
layer

Other things to note:

 thick-walled vessels (e.g. aorta) cannot be sustained
by diffusion
o supplied by small arteries (vasa vasorum) –
run in the tunica adventitia up to the tunica
media

THE HEART

CARDIOVASCULAR HISTOLOGY JATSUPEÑA

 Conducting System
 dense sheet of fibrocollagenous tissue which also
contains elastic fibers
 On its outer surface, there is a flat monolayer of
mesothelial cells - secretion of lubricating fluid
Myocardium
 SA node  AV node  AV bundle (of His) 
Purkinje fibers (run beneath the endocardium before
penetrating the myocardium)
 SA and AV nodes are irregular meshworks of very
small specialised myocardial fibres
 Electrochemical stimuli are transmitted via gap
junctions
 Conducting fibers
o specialized cardiac muscle fibres
o mainly located beneath the cell membrane,
o few myofibrils
o abundant glycogen granules and
mitochondria
 Purkinje and other conducting fibers have no T
tubule system and connect with each other by
desmosomes and gap junctions (not intercalated
discs)

Heart Valve
 leaflets of fibroelastic tissue
 covered by a thin layer of endothelium
 lamina fibrosa – dense central plate of collagen
containing scattered elastic fibers

THE ARTERIAL SYSTEM

 distribute blood from the heart to capillary beds
throughout the body
 pulsatile flow
 characterized by the presence of considerable elastin
and the smooth muscle wall is thick relative to the
diameter of the lumen
 Three types:
o Elastic (aorta, brachiocephalic trunk,
common carotid, subclavian, large
 Intercalated discs pulmonary arteries)
o specialized intercellular junctions provide o Muscular - main distributing branches (e.g.
both mechanical and electrophysiological radial, femoral, coronary, cerebral)
coupling o Arterioles – terminal branches that supply
o central nuclei and regular cytoplasmic cross- the capillary bed
striations
General rule on structure: the amount of elastic tissue
decreases as the vessels become smaller and the smooth
muscle component assumes relatively greater prominence.

Endocardium Elastic Artery Muscular Artery Arterioles

CARDIOVASCULAR HISTOLOGY JATSUPEÑA
 TI: Narrow the elastic tissue is TI – thin; lined by  Blood flow regulators:
Single layer of largely endothelial cells o Arterioles
flattened concentrated as o Metarterioles
endothelial cells two well-defined TM – 2 -3 layers of o Precapillary sphincters
elastic sheets: muscle o AV shunts
subendothelial 1. Internal
supporting tissue elastic Capillaries
contains scattered lamina  Lined by single layer of endothelial cells
fibroblasts and (bet. TI  No muscular and adventitial layer
myointimal cells* and TM)
 Pericytes – contractile cells
2. External
 Same diameter as RBCs
elastic
lamina  Three types:
(bet. TM o Continuous
and TA) o Fenestrated
o Discontinuous
TI - usually a very
thin layer, not Continuous  Most tissues
visible at low  Endothelial cells encircle lumen
magnification  Bound together by fascia
occludens
TM -  Presence of marginal folds –
concentrically small cytoplasmic flaps
arranged smooth  Thin BM
muscle fibers with  Cell transport through passive
scanty elastic fibers diffusion and pinocytotic
between them vesicles
Fenestrated  Tissues with extensive molecular
TA - collagen and exchange with blood
a variable amount  Fenestrations may constitute a
of elastic tissues diaphragm
 Small intestines, endocrine
In small muscular glands, kidneys
arteries: thin but
Discontinuous  Large fenestrations with no
distinct internal
diaphragm
elastic lamina is
present, but there is  Underlying BM is discontinuous
usually little or no  Bone marrow, liver, spleen
external elastic
lamina Endothelial cells
*myointimal cells  Flat polygonal cells
 ultrastructural features akin to smooth muscle cells  Numerous pinocytotic vesicles
 elaboration of the extracellular constituents  Weibel-Palade bodies – store von Willebrand factor
 not invested by basement membrane and are thus not  Functions
epithelial (myoepithelial) in nature o Control of blood coagulation and thrombosis
 accumulate lipid  atherosclerosis o Blood vessel constriction/dilatation

THE MICROCIRCULATION THE VENOUS SYSTEM

 exchange of gases, fluids, nutrients and metabolic
waste products
 Exchange occurs mainly within the capillaries
 Control of blood flow: arterioles and muscular
sphincters (precapillary sphincters)
 Capillary drainage (venous component of
microcirculation): postcapillary venules  collecting
venules  small muscular venules
 Metarterioles - discontinuous outer layer of smooth
muscle cells
 Contraction of the smooth muscle of shunts and
metarterioles directs blood through the network of
small capillaries
 Low-pressure component
 carrying blood from the capillary networks back to
the right atrium of the heart.
 Presence of valves – prevent backflow of blood
o Varicose veins – valve failure in the veins of
the legs
 Elastic and muscular components are much less
prominent features
 Contains major part of total blood volume
 Contraction or relaxation of the smooth muscle in the
tunica media controls luminal diameter of muscular
venules and veins

CARDIOVASCULAR HISTOLOGY JATSUPEÑA


 Postcapillary venules – smallest of these
o Formed by confluence of several capillaries
o Similar structure to large capillaries
o With endothelium and pericytes but no
smooth muscle layer
o Flow is sluggish; main site of migration of
WBCs into and out of the circulation
 Collecting venules
o Structurally similar to PCV but with more
surrounding pericytes
o Eventually acquire a wall of smooth muscle
cells 2 or 3 layers thick (at this stage,
vessels are called muscular venules)
 Muscular venules and small veins
o See illustration below: confluence of small
muscular venule (V1) with a larger muscular
venule (V2) which joins a small vein (V3)
o Muscular venules – clearly defined intimal
layer with no elastic fibers and tunica
media with 1 or 2 layers of smooth
muscles
o Veins – thicker muscular wall and poorly
developed internal elastic lamina; tunica
adventitia is continuous with surrounding
collagenous supporting tissue
CARDIOVASCULAR HISTOLOGY
Vein with valves
 delicate semilunar projections of the tunica intima of
the vein wall
 layer of fibroelastic tissue which is lined on both
sides by endothelium
Medium-sized vein
 Tunica intima – consists of little more than the
endothelial cell layer supported by a very narrow
band of supporting intimal fibrous tissue
 Tunica media – thin when compared with that of an
equivalent-sized artery; 2 to 4 layers of smooth
muscle fibers arranged in a circumferential fashion.
 Tunica adventitia – usually the thickest layer;
composed of collagenous fibrous tissue; usually run
in a predominantly longitudinal direction
Large muscular vein
 Tunica intima – very narrow
 Tunica media – more substantial, consisting of
several layers of smooth muscle
 Tunica adventitia – broad and is composed of
collagen and contains numerous vasa vasorum
Note: Elastic fibers are particularly prominent at the junction
between media and adventitia, but there are no distinct elastic
laminae as there are in arteries.
Vena cava
 Superior and inferior vena cavae – largest veins in the
body and return deoxygenated blood from all areas of
the body to the RA
 thickest walls of all veins
 distinct intima of fibroelastic tissue
 narrow tunica media – mainly circular smooth muscle
 thick adventitia with collagen and longitudinal
smooth muscle
 variable IEL between intima and media
LYMPHATIC VESSELS
 returns tissue fluid to vascular compartment
o fluid formed due to Starling forces
o Drainage into the great veins via thoracic
duct
 Thin-walled channels; no pericytes
 Larger vessels have smooth muscle in wall, poorly-
defined layers
 Lymph nodes filter lymph fluid
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