CVS
• Transport system that carries blood and lymph to and/or from tissues of the body
• Constituents: Heart, blood and lymph vessels
• Two circuits distribute blood to the vessels of the heart:
1.Pulmonary circulation: conveys blood from the heart to the lungs and vica versa
2.Systemic circulation: conveys blood from the heart to other tissues of the body and vica versa
The heart is a muscular pump that maintains unidirectional flow of blood and consists of four
chambers. It has valves that prevent the backflow of blood.
Heart wall constituents
1. Cardiac muscle:
• Branched & cylindrical
• Single, central nucleus per cell
• Intercalated discs – join adjacent cells
• Faint striations
• Glycogen in juxtanuclear space
2. Fibrous skeleton:
• Consists of:
è 4 fibrous rings surrounding valve orifices
è 2 fibrous trigones connecting the rings
è Membranous part of IV & IA septae
àfibrous rings = dense, irregular CT encircling the 2 major arteries & the 2 AV orifices
• Composition = dense, irregular CT
• Function:
1. Attachment site for valves & myocardium
2. Electrical insulation
3. Impulse-conducting system
• Intrinsic regulation of heart
è SA node
è AV node
è AV bundle
è Purkinje fibers – larger, more glycogen
• Modified cardiac cells – 4x faster
• Fxn: coordinates contractions of atria & ventricles
Layers of Heart Walls
1. Epicardium 2. Myocardium 3. Endocardium
(visceral layer of serous (middle layer) (inner layer)
pericardium)
-mesothelium (simple -cardiac muscle 1. inner layer = endothelium &
squamous) + loose CT (with subendothelial loose CT
adipose) 2. middle layer = CT & smooth muscle
-contains blood vessels and 3. Deeper layer (subendocardium) = CT &
nerves purkinje fibres
à continuous with CT of myocardium
• Wall of IV and IA septae = cardiac muscle & endocardium
CVS
Purkinje fibers* Cardiac muscle fibres
-Wider in diameter -Narrower in diameter
-Large glycogen space -Small glycogen space
-Has myofibrils arranged at the periphery
-Are terminal part of the conducting system
*receives, conducts and transmits contractile impulse to the myocardium.
Heart valve layers
1. Fibrosa:
• Core of valve
• Fibrous extensions from dense irregular CT of skeletal rings of the heart
2. Spongiosa:
• Loose CT on the atrial/ vessel side of the valve
• Composed of loosely arranged collagen & elastic fibres with lots of proteoglycans
• Acts as a shock absorber & confers flexibility to cusps
• In the aortic & pulmonary valves it is called arterialis
• In Av valves, it corresponds to loose CT = auricular
3. Ventricularis:
• Adj. to ventricular/ atrial surface of valve
• Covered with endothelium
• Dense CT + many layers of elastic fibres
• Continues into chordae tendineae in AV valves
Blood vessels
Tunica Intima (TI) (innermost) Tunica Media (TM) (middle) Tunica Adventitia (TA) (outermost)
General 1.endothelium with basal Thicker in arteries Thicker in veins
structure lamina (BL) 1.Circumferentially arranged 1. longitudinal collagen & elastic
(inner to outer) 2.subendothelium smooth muscle cells fibres
(occasionally smooth muscle) 2. variable amounts of elastic & 2. vasa vasorum = blood vessels
3. internal elastic membrane reticular fibres & proteoglycans supplying walls of larger vessels
(IEM) in arteries and arterioles 3. fenestrated external elastic 3. nervi vascularis= ANS nerves
but variable in veins membrane (EEM) arranged in a controlling contraction of smooth
circular layer muscle in the vessel wall
4. Thicker than TA in arteries 4. May contain EEM
5. Merges with with CT around
tissue
6. TA is wider than TM in veins
Larger (elastic) 1.endothelium & BL 1.broad, fenestrated elastic 1.collagen & elastic fibres
arteries 2. subendothelium with CT, lamellae (40-70 in adults) 2. fibroblasts & macrophages
(aortic & elastic fibres & smooth muscle 2. multiple layers of smooth 3. vasa vasorum & network of
pulmonary aa) 3.Indistinct IEM muscle that adopts fibroblast autonomic nerves called nervi
function vascularis
3. no EEM 4. Relatively thin compared to TM
4. Some collagen and ground
substance
CVS
Medium 1.thinner than large aa. 1.predominant smooth mm Thinner (or same thickness) as TM
(muscular) 2. prominent IEM (wavy 2. very little elastic material, 1.CT & elastic fibres
arteries appearance) more collagen à mainly collagen
(Blood to 3. Endothelium and BL 3. No fibroblasts 2. Prominent EEL
organs and 4. Sparse endothelial layer 4. recognizable EEM 3. Vasa Vasorum
maintains 5. Multiple layers of smooth 4. Nerves
steady flow) muscle 5. Scattered dipose cells
Small arteries 1. Endothelium 1. 8-10 smooth muscle layers 1.thin CT
2. smaller subendothelial layer 2. Collagen fibres
3. IEM
4. CT & little smooth muscle
Arterioles 1. Endothelium 1. 1-3 layers of smooth muscle 1. Relatively large compared to
2. May contain IEM other layers
2. Merges with surrounding CT
Medium veins 1.Endothelium with BL 1. Relatively smaller than TA 1. Thick than TM
(have valves) 2. Thin subendothelial layer 2. Thinner TM than medium 2. Collagen & a network of elastic
with occasional smooth arteries fibres
muscle 3.Circumferentially arranged
3.May contain thin IEM smooth muscle with collagen &
4. Prominent valves elastic fibres
Larger veins 1. endothelium & BL 1. Relatively thin compared to 1. Thickest layer
(vena cavae) 2. subendothelium = loose CT TA 2. May contain bundles of
(have valves) + smooth muscle 2. Smooth muscle + collagen longitudinal smooth muscle fibres
(returns blood 3. Prominent valves 3. fibroblasts With collagen & elastic fibres
to heart) 4. Indistinct boundary 3. fibroblasts
between TI and TM 4. vasa vasorum
Venules:
• Travel close together with arterioles
• Continuous endothelium
• Collapsed & irregular
• Thin wall – fluid exchange & diopedesis
• Form microvascular beds with arterioles & capillaries
Muscular and postcapillary venules
Tunica intima Tunica media Tunica adventitia
Muscular venules Don’t usually have One or two layers Merges with
pericytes of TM surrounding CT
Postcapillary venules Are associated No true TM
with pericytes
Capillaries:
• Consists of a layer of endothelial cells and BL
• Smallest blood vessels, form vascular networks
• Consists of pericytes
• Two-directional exchange of fluid
CVS
• 3 types:
1. Continuous capillaries 2. Fenestrated capillaries 3. Discontinuous/ sinusoidal
-muscle, lung & CNS -endocrine glands, GIT, kidney & capillaries
-continuous endothelium and gallbladder -liver, spleen & bone marrow
basement membrane -fenestrated endothelium and -large diameter (wide lumen) &
-endothelial lining with occluding continuous basement membrane irregular shape
junctions - fenestrations= allow -incomplete epithelium and BL-
-pinocytic vesicles in cytoplasm communication partially or totally absent
- pericytes à vascular support & à some covered by a thin -fenestrated endothelial lining
promote stability diaphragm -“wide leaky vessels”
-occluding jxns è no -pinocytic vesicles
communication -complete BL
-most common type
Lymphatic vessels:
- Fluid from tissues to bloodstream
• Unidirectional – from tissues
• Begin as “Blind-ended” lymphatic capillaries
• More permeable than blood capillaries due to endothelium & discontinuous BL
• Have valves (more than in veins)
• Lymph nodes – contain immune cells which are distributed around body
• Have thin walled vessels that collect excess interstitial fluid (lymph) and return to
blood via veins
