Blood Vessels: Structure and Function

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Description and Tags

Mrs Witton

9 Terms

1
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Structure of an artery and other details on arteries?

Endothelium, elastin and smooth muscle, outer wall.
Narrow lumen to maintain high blood pressure.

2
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Structure of veins and any other details?

  • Smooth muscle and elastin is very thin.

  • Lumen of the vein wider than artery.

  • Has valves.

  • It has a low blood pressure.


3
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Purpose of Endothelium:

  • One cell thick.

  • Very smooth and reduces friction for blood flow.

  • Highly folded, enabling it to expand under high pressure.


4
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Purpose of smooth muscle and elastin:

  • Layer is thick.

  • Layer of muscle cells strengthen the arteries, withstand high pressure.

  • Vasoconstriction to narrow the lumen and reduce blood flow to specific areas.

  • Elastic tissue helps to maintain high blood pressure (stretches out and recoil to even out fluctuations in pressure)


5
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Purpose of the outer wall:

  • Contains collagen (strong structural protein)

  • Collagen is to protect blood vessels from damage by overstretching.


6
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Structure of capillaries and any extra details?

  • Thin walls that are permeable. (one cell thick)

  • Lumen very narrow.

  • A single layer of endothelial cells,


7
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What can capillaries form? Why is it so important and what is it’s function?

  • Can form networks called capillary beds.

  • It is an important exchange surface within the circulatory system. Substances can diffuse between blood and cells quicker as it has a shorter diffusion distance.


8
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What is the size of the lumen of the capillaries and what function and adaptability does that provide?

  • Red blood passes through the capillaries in a single file. (slow)

  • This provides more time for diffusion to occur.


9
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What is the layer called in the capillaries? What function does that provide?

  • It is one cell thick, shortening the diffusion for CO2 and O2 between the blood and the cells of the body. (quicker rate of diffusion)

  • Capillaries can form tissue fluids as they have gaps called pores which allow blood plasma to leak.

  • It helps to diffuse CO2 and other waste material out of the capillaries and O2 to diffuse into cells.