HUMAN HISTOLOGY LABORATORY|MIDTERMS

Circulatory system

General Features Vessel walls typically have three concentric

layers, or tunics.
 The circulatory system is responsible for
the transport and homeostatic 1. Tunica intima
distribution of oxygen, nutrients,
2. Tunica media
wastes, body fluids and solutes, body
heat, and immune system components. 3. Tunica adventitia
Two Subsystems
Cardiovascular System
 Is a closed system of tubes, through
which the blood circulates with the aid
of an in-line pump.
 It has four components:
a. Heart
b. Arteries
c. Veins
d. Capillaries
Lymphatic system II. Blood Vessels
 Comprises of another set of vessels, in A. Blood Capillaries
which lymph moves in one direction.
This system lacks a separate pump and  These are the smallest vascular
includes three vessels. channels, with an average diameter of
a. Lymphatic vessels 7um to 9um. –
b. Lymphatic capillaries  Their walls consist of simple squamous
c. Lymphatic ducts epithelial cell sheet rolled into tubes
and surrounded by a thin basal lamina.
Walls of Blood and Lymphatic Vessels  Some blood capillaries have
 Circulatory components are hollow, fenestrations in their endothelial linings.
with an open channel, or lumen, at their Types of capillaries
center.
 Local weakening of vessel walls is a a. continuous
result of embryonic defects, disease, or b. fenestrated
lesions may cause a thin - walled out -
pocketing, or aneurysm, that may c. sinusoidal/ discontinuous
rupture, causing hemorrhage

2ND SEMESTER|BSMT
 HUMAN HISTOLOGY LABORATORY|MIDTERMS

Circulatory system

B. Arteries
 arteries have thicker tunica media than III. Heart
veins. A. Chambers
 Large arteries contain more elastin in
their media and adventitia than any  The heart has four chambers
other blood vessels.  two aorta
 in cross-sections through paired vessels,  two ventricles
arteries appear rounder than veins
C. Veins
 in cross-sections, veins appear often
collapsed
 they have thinner media than the
arteries and may contain more
erythrocytes in sectioned tissue
 they have thicker adventitia, which in
larger veins contain longitudinal smooth
muscle

2ND SEMESTER|BSMT
 HUMAN HISTOLOGY LABORATORY|MIDTERMS

Circulatory system

B. Tunics
1. Endocardium
 inner layer
 homologous to the intima of vessels and
has three major components:
a. endothelium b
b. subendothelial connective tissue A. Lymphatic Vessels and Ducts
c. subendocardium
 the walls of these vessels and ducts
2. Myocardium resemble those of veins.
 the beaded appearance of lymphatic
 middle layer
ducts and vessels reflects the presence
 consist mainly of cardiac muscle fibers
of valves that control the direction of
and carries out the forceful contractions
lymph flow.
that allows the heart to serve as pump.
 the adventitia is thin and lacks smooth
a. atrial cardiac muscle
muscle.
b. ventricular cardiac muscle
 the media contains both longitudinal
3. Epicardium and circular smooth muscle, but
longitudinal fibers predominate
 visceral pericardium
 outermost layer
 consist of a single layer of squamous
mesothelial cells, and a layer of
subepicardial connective tissue that
binds the epicardium to myocardium
VI. Lymphatic Vessels
 In addition to the blood vasculature, the
body has a system of very thin-walled
channels that collect excess interstitial
fluid called lymph from the tissue spaces
and return it to the blood.
B. Lymphatic capillaries
 simple squamous endothelial tubes
 have greater diameter than blood
capillaries and a thinner discontinuous
basal lamina
 lacks fenestrations

2ND SEMESTER|BSMT