Lecture # 3 & 4

NORMAL HISTOLOGICAL FEATURES OF THE DIFFERENT ORGANS OF THE

CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

General Histological Features of the Blood Vascular System

The heart is a group of propelling the blood. The arteries are tubes for conveying the
blood toward the organs and tissues. The capillaries are anastomosing channels and small caliber
with thin walls providing for much of the interchange of substances between the blood and tissue
fluids. The veins also provide for blood tissue fluid inter-change but in addition serve for the
return of blood to the heart. The lymph capillaries like those of blood vessels are delicate tubes
with walls consists of a single layer of endothelial cells. The lymph vessels resemble the veins in
structure but their walls are as a rule thinner than those of veins.

General Histological Features of the Heart

It is composed of four chambers:
a. Right Atrium 2. Right Ventricle 3. Left Atrium 4. Left Ventricle
Although the different chamber of the heart vary to some extend in their
microscopic structure. The arrangement of tissues in each chamber conforms to a general plan.
The wall of each chamber consists of three layers;
1. An Inner Layer (Endocardium)
2. A Middle Layer (Myocardium)
3. An Outer Layer (Epicardium)

1. Endocardium (Inner Layer)

It is a glistering layer covering the inner surface of the atria and ventricles. It is lined
by an endothelium or irregularly shaped, polygonal cells with oval or round nuclei. The deepest
layer of the endocardium is called sub-endocardium which contains collagenous fibers, elastic
fibers, blood vessels and specialized muscle fibers (Purkinji Fibers).

2. Myocardium (Middle Layer)

It consists of cardiac muscle cells, cardiac muscle fibers and intercalated discs, some
endothelial cells are also present. The cardiac muscle of the atria is separated from that of the
ventricles by strong fibrous rings (Annuli Fibrosi) which surround the AV (Atrio-Ventricular)
orifices. The fibrous rings are composed mainly of dense bundles of collagenous fibers. They
also contain some elastic fibers, fibroblast and fat cells. The fibrous rings show structural
vacations in different persons and at different ages. They exhibit more marked variations in
different species, e.g. they contain hyaline cartilage in sheep and bone in the ox.
3. Epicardium (Outer Layer)
It is the visceral layer of the pericardium. It is lined by a single layer of mesothelial
cells, which may be flat or cuboidal. Below the mesothelium is a layer of C.T. containg a

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considerable number of elastic pass over into the adventitia, of the blood vessels. Nerves and
varying amount of fat. It is often described as a sub-epethelium.

General Histological Features of the Arteries

Generally three coats or tunics are recognized in an artery:

1. Tunica Intima: It is the innermost coat. It consists of three layers.

a) Endothelium: The innermost lining consists of simple squamous
epithelium.
b) Intermediate Layer: This is the sub-endothelial loose C.T.
c) Internal Elastic Layer: It is a band of elastic fibers forming a boundary between
the tunica intima and media.

2. Tunica Media:
In medium-sized arteries (also called Muscular arteries), it is composed of 25-40
layers of smooth muscles arranged circularly with collagen, elastic and reticular fibers disposed
in between. In large (conducting or elastic) arteries there is predominance of elastic fibers
arranged in sheets which anastomose to form complex nests. The smooth muscle is relatively
much less abundant. A band of elastic fibers (External Elastic Lamina) forms a boundary
between the media and adventitia. It is less well-marked in large arteries.

3. Tunica Adventitia:
It is the outermost covering composed of collagen fibers surrounded by loose areolar
tissue. Adventitia is thinner in large arteries than muscular arteries.

The arteries glands from metarteriole, arterioles, small arteries medium-sized and
finally the large arteries. A metarteriole is just like a capillary (a tube lined with endothelium)

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surrounded a few circular smooth cells. In arteriole all the three tunics are seen with 1-2 layers of
smooth muscle in the media. The small arteries connect the arterioles with medium-sized
arteries. These have more number of smooth cell layers (branches of superior thyroid arteries
etc). the medium-sized arteries, innominate and common carotid.

Elastic Arteries (Large arteies)

The tunica intima of elastic arteries is often thicker than the interna of other types of
arteries. The amount of elastic fibers is more than the muscular arteries and sub endothelial layer
contains smooth muscle cell fibroblasts, primarily longitudinally oriented collagen fibers and
numerous fine elastic fibers.

Muscular Arteries (Medium size arteries)

Muscular arteries are characterized by a thick tunica media, composed mainaly of smooth
muscle cells in the form of circular or helical wrappings form three to more than 40 cell layers
in thickness. Interspersed between these smooth muscle cells are elastic fibers and collagen
fibers.

Arterioles
It have smaller diameter than other arteries and walls are also thin, the tunica intima
consists of endothelium, and a thin sub endothelial layer of collagen and elastic fibers.

Capillaries
Capillaries are tubules of uniform diameter that are approximately 8 micron meter. The
walls of capillaries are composed of endothelial cells, an associated basal lamina, pericytes, and
may be thin adventitial connective tissue. Capillaries form thin network is called capillary beds
or anastomosing channels. There is different types of capillaries according to structure (a)
Continuous capillaries in which cells are held together by tight junctions. (b) Fenestrated
Capillaries commonly occur in GIT. They have large diameter. (c) Pours capillaries have the
highest permeability.

General Histological Features of the Veins

Veins are usually larger in caliber and thin-walled. They grade from venules, small
veins, medium-sized and finally large veins. Venules and small veins are endothelial tubes
surrounded by an outer sheath of collagen fibrils with a few fibroblasts. They have irregular
lumen. The tunica intima is same in both medium and large veins. It is relatively thin coat. The
endothelial layer is surrounded by a layer of thin collagen bundled interspersed with elastic
fibers. The internal elastic lamina is well-marked in large veins. The tunica media, too, is very
thin (even thinner in larger veins). It consists of only a few smooth cell layers. The tunica
adventitia is the thickest layer in veins (much thicker in larger veins). It is composed mainly of

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collagen fibers, a few-elastic fibers and bundles of longitudinally disposed smooth muscle fibers.
The veins have valves (absent in arteries).

How Veins differ from the Arteries

The veins differ from the arteries in the following way:

 The caliber of veins is larger than of arteries.

 The wall of the veins is much thinner than that of arteries, because of a great reduction of the
muscular and elastic elements.
 Tunica media of artries contains several layers of smooth muscles instead of elastic lamina
 The collagenous C.T. in the vein is present in greater amounts and constitutes the bulk of the
wall.
 The internal elastic membrane is not a compact fenestrated layer but consists of a network of
elastic fibers.
 Three coats are present but their boundaries are often indistinct for lack of definite limiting
membranes.
 Some of the veins have valves while arteries have no valves. These valves allow the blood to
flow only towards the heart, and stop the flow of blood in the reverse direction.

Venules
The post capillary venules are similar in structure to capillaries but are larger in
diameter. The tunica intima is formed by either continous or fenstrated endothelial cells
connected by incomplete tight junctions.

Small Veins
As venules further increase in diameter, consist on endothelium along with tunica media
which have two or four layers of smooth muscle cells.

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