Circulatory system

1.Concepts of organs and systems

➀ Organ: composed of four kinds of the tissues

in a particular way
Hollow organs: studied from inside to outside
Types parenchyma
Substantial organs:
interstitium
➁ System: composed of many organs which
have relationship with each other in
structure and function.
2.Composition of circulatory system

❶ Cardiovascular system

❷ lymph vascular system heart

lymphatic duct vein

artery

lymphatic vessel capillary

lymphatic capillary tissue fluid

 artery

vein
heart

capillary
Heart The wall is thickest and
consist of largely cardiac
muscle

nucleus

Intercalated
disc

Cardiac
muscular fiber
心内膜

心肌膜

心外膜

心脏
❦ heart
endocardium ： endothelium,
subendothelial layer,
subendocardial layer.

1. The structure
of heart wall myocardium ： three layers are divided
roughly, cardiac muscle arrange spirally.

epicardium ： plasma membrane,

mesothelium on the surface
Intercalated
disc
 Mesothelium

Adipose
tissue
Tunica adventitia
2 ． Heart conducting system

➊Definition ： This system is composed of specific cardiac

muscle fibers that can generate and conduct impulse to all parts of
the heart, making heart contraction in rhythm.

➋Types of cell ： pacemaker cell,

transitional cell,
Purkinje fiber.

➌※cardiac skeleton── A supporting structure, locating between atrial muscle

and ventricular muscle and consisting of DCT. It is a frame of heart and provide
a attachment for cardiac muscle and cardiac valve.
※cardiac valve──The thin-scalloped structure, formed by endocardium
protruding into cavity of heart.
The core of dense connective tissue
Valve
Endothelium

Endocardium
心内膜

心肌膜

心外膜

心脏
Composition of blood vessel and their general structures

Endothelium
❦Tunica
intima Subendothelium

Internal elastic M.

❦Tunica media

❦Tunica adventitia
 adiventitia （外膜
）
tunica media ( 中膜 )
tunica intima ( 内膜
)

中动 脉
 1.Intima
(1) Endothelium

Distribution 、 morphology

Face the lumen and belong to squamous

 (2) Subendothelial

layer
Located beneath the endothelium

Composed of thinner layer of C.T containing small amount of

collagenous fibers,elastic fibers or some smooth muscle

(3) Internal elastic membrane

Internal elastic membrane is composed of elastic protein
and there exist many fenestrations on it. It is wave-like and
serve as a border between intima and media of artery.
 2. Media
Located between Intima and adventitia

Thickness depends on different kinds

of blood vessels
Composition
Large A. ——elastic M.
Medium A. —— Smooth M.

Function Dilate and retract blood vessels,

Maintain tension of blood vessels
3.Adventitia
adventitia
Distribution outermost
Thickness 、 thicker

Composition
L.C.T containing fibroblast,
collagenous F. , elastic F. and
external elastic membrane
❦Arteries （ Artery ， A ）

1. Grade ： large A ： Φ>10 mm

medium-sized A ： Φ1─10mm
small A ： Φ0.3─1mm
arteriole ： Φ<0.3 mm.

2. Characteristics of various arteries :

➊ large A （ elastic A ）
：
Conducting A.

➋Medium-sized A
（ muscular A ）：
Distributing A.
 Features of large A

(1) Subendothelial layer: is thicker. Many layers of

internal elastic membrane in this layer are continuous with
elastic membrane of middle membrane. As a result,
layering of large A are not as clear as medium-size A.
(2) Middle tunic: consist mainly of elastic membrane
of 40 ～ 70 layers, with occasional smooth muscle cells,
elastic fibers and collagen fibers among elastic membranes.
Major components of ground substance are chondroitin
sulfate.
(3) External tunic ： This is a thin layer of connective
tissue and there is not obvious border with enveloping
connective tissue. External elastic membrane is not
obvious.
 Intima

Elastic M.

Smooth Muscle

Media

Adventitia

Large Artery
中动脉

大动脉
 external tunic

Middle tunic

Features of medium-size A
（ 1 ） Layering clearly. internal elastic membrane is
integrate
（ 2 ） Middle tunic consists of smooth muscle of 10 ～
40 layers, intermixing with elastic fibers, collagenous fibers
and ground substance.
（ 3 ） Thickness of external tunic equals middle tunic
and, often, there is obvious external elastic membrane
between two tunic.
 中动脉 中静脉

大静 脉

小动 脉与 小静脉
中动脉

大动脉
 3 ． Small A ：
They are also muscular A, but layering is not clear.
Smooth muscle layers are small. There is no external elastic
membrane.
4 ． Arteriole ：
Layering is more unclear. There is only one or two
layers of smooth muscle cells.
Arteriole

Small
Small V
A.
 中动脉 中静脉

大静 脉

小动 脉与 小静脉
❦ Capillary (Cap.)

1.Distributions ： broadly and have a relation with

metabolism.

Size ： Cap. generally is 6 ～ 8 μm, but some sinusoid

can reach 40 μm in diameter.

2.General structures ：

① endothelia
② basal membrane
③ pericytes ： The flat-thin cells with processes between
endothelium and basal membrane.
④ small amounts of connective tissues
 3.Classifications and their EM structures ：
➊ continuous cap. ：
➋ fenestrated cap. ：
➌ sinusoid （ sinusoidal cap., discontinuous cap. ）：

4.The structural basis of substance interchange of cap. ：

（ 1 ） Larger square, thin vascular wall, short distance with surrounding
cells.
（ 2 ） O2 、 CO2 and lipid-soluble substances can penetrate the walls of cap.
directly.
（ 3 ） liquid and macromolecule can pass through endothelial pores.
（ 4 ） pinocytotic vesicles can transport liquid.
（ 5 ） intercellular space facilitate more easily elements to pass through.
（ 6 ） basal membrane make small molecular substances filtrate readily , so
disintegrate basal membrane or no is easier to material exchanges.
5. Capillary permeability: The ability of substances passing
through capillary.
Classifications and
ultrastrutural features
of Cap.

continuous cap.

fenestrated cap.

sinusoid
 Pore
Pinocytotic
vesicle
pinocytotic (plasmalemmal) Endothelium
vesicles

Intercellular
space

RBC pore

Basal membrane
sinusoid
毛细 血管
 周细胞
吞饮小 泡

周细胞

吞饮小 泡
孔
基膜
细胞连 接 基膜

连续毛 细血管 有孔毛 细血管

❦ Vein, V
1.structural characteristics ：
① internal and external elastic membrane both are unclear
② The thickness of external tunic> middle tunic
③ large and irregular lumens, thin walls.

2.Vein valves ：
Internal tunic of veins (their diameter usually are over 2 mm) protrude
into lumens and form pleats, in the center of which connective tissue containing
elastic fibers exist, but endothelia overlap on the surfaces.

3.Microcirculation
1 ． Definition ： The blood circulation of micro-small blood vessels
between arterioles and venules
2 ． Compositions ： arterioles, precapillary arterioles, metarterioles, true
capillaries, short cuts, arteriovenous anastomosis and venules.
 中动脉 中静脉

大静 脉

小动 脉与 小静脉
毛细血 管网 静脉 瓣
Good-bye!