ARTERIES

A tubelike, elastic blood vessel that transports blood away from the heart that brings oxygen-rich blood
to the parts of the body. The walls of arteries are thicker and more elastic as the blood in the arteries is
passing through with a higher pressure. Moreover, it has no valves. This is because the force of the
blood coming from the heart ensures the blood only goes in one direction. Arteries are usually found
deeper in the body, but provide a detectable pulse. Arteries come in a variety of sizes. As we all
know, the largest artery of the body is the aorta, which begins at the heart and the smallest arteries are
called arterioles.

AORTA

main and largest artery that carries blood away from your heart to the rest of our body. It is the primary
source of oxygen and essential nutrients for many organs. the Blood moves through the heart via the
aortic valve, then the blood leaves the heart via the aorta. The other arteries branch out from there. It
is divided into 4 sections and branches:

1. Ascending Aorta- it distributes oxygen and nutrients to the heart via the coronary arteries
2. Aortic Arch-curved segment that gives the aorta its cane-like shape. It bridges the ascending
and descending aorta.
There are 3 small branches bring blood to the head, neck, and arms:

A. Brachiocephalic trunk- branches into the right subclavian artery and right carotid artery
B. Left subclavian artery- supplies your left arm
C. Left common carotid artery- supplies the left side of the head and neck.
3. Descending (thoracic) Aorta -Long, straight segment that runs from your chest to your
abdominal area. There are 5 small branches responsible for bringing blood from the heart to
smaller vessels in the chest or ribs:
A. Bronchial Arteries
B. Esophageal Arteries
C. Pericardial Arteries
D. Superior Phrenic Arteries
E. Intercoastal and Subcostal Arteries
4. Abdominal Aorta -begins at the diaphragm, splitting to become the paired iliac arteries in the
lower abdomen.
-9 small branches provide circulation for many of the organs in the abdominal region:
A. Celiac trunk- supplies blood to abdominal esophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas
B. Middle suprarenal arteries- supply blood to the suprarenal glands
C. Superior mesenteric artery- supplies blood to small intestine
D. Inferior mesenteric artery- supply blood to large intestine
E. Median sacral artery- supplies blood to the lumbar vertebrae and sacrum
F. Renal arteries- provide blood to the kidneys
G. Gondal (testicular and ovarian) arteries- supply blood to testes in males or ovaries in
females
H. Lumbar arteries- supply blood to the posterior abdominal wall and spinal cord
I. Common iliac and its branches- supply blood to the legs and the organs in the pelvis
STRUCTURE

Each artery is a muscular tube lined by smooth tissue and has three layers:

1. Tunica Externa or Adventitia- the outermost layer of artery that attaches the vessel to the
surrounding tissue. It is composed of connective tissue as well as collagen and elastic fibers.
2. Tunica Media- middle layer that is composed of smooth muscle and elastic fibers. This layer is
thicker in arteries particularly in large arteries than in veins.
3. Tunica Intima- innermost layer composed of an elastic membrane and lined by smooth
endothelium that is covered by elastic tissues. *ENDOTHELIUM- a specialized simple squamous
epithelium, continuous throughout the entire vascular system, including the lining of the
chambers of the heart. This is the tube through which blood passes. It enables blood to
transport oxygen and nutrients without getting absorbed until it reaches the right spot.

TYPES OF ARTERIES There are 3 types of Arteries

1. Elastic Artery- are the arteries that receive blood directly from the heart - the aorta and the
pulmonary artery. It has more elastic tissue than muscular arteries and are located close to your
heart. Its Tunica adventitia has small 'vasa vasorum' as the large arteries need their own blood
supply. Tunica media is broad and elastic with concentric sheets of elastin, and collagen and
only few smooth muscle fibers.
2. Muscular Artery- is a medium-sized artery that draws blood from an elastic artery and branches
into small arteries and arterioles. It distributes blood to various parts of the body such as
femoral and coronal arteries. Its Tunica Adventitia is very broad, and mostly contains collagen
and elastin.
3. Arteriole- is a small-diameter blood vessel which forms part of the microcirculation that extends
from an artery and leads to capillaries. *MICROCIRCULATION- flow of blood in the smallest
blood vessels, including arterioles, capillaries, and venules. Also called as resistance vessels
due to their ability to increase vascular resistance, which is a significant determinant of blood
pressure. The tunica media is restricted to one or two smooth muscle cell layers in thickness.
The tunica externa remains but it is very thin