A.

HEART
It is an organ that pumps blood throughout the body via the circulatory system,
supplying oxygen and nutrients to the tissues and removing carbon dioxide and
other wastes.

B. ARTERIES
A vessel that carries blood high in oxygen content away from the heart to the
farthest reaches of the body. Since blood in arteries is usually full of oxygen, the
hemoglobin in the red blood cells is oxygenated. The resultant form of
hemoglobin (oxyhemoglobin) is what makes arterial blood look bright red.

C. VEINS
A blood vessel that carries blood that is low in oxygen content from the body
back to the heart. The deoxygenated form of hemoglobin (deoxy-hemoglobin) in
venous blood makes it appear dark. Veins are part of the afferent wing of the
circulatory system, which returns blood to the heart. In contrast, an artery is a
vessel that carries blood that is high in oxygen away from the heart to the body.

D. CAPILLARIES
Capillaries are the smallest of blood vessels. They serve to distribute oxygenated
blood from arteries to the tissues of the body and to feed deoxygenated blood
from the tissues back into the veins. The capillaries are thus a central component
in the circulatory system, essentially between the arteries and the veins. When
pink areas of skin are compressed, this causes blanching because blood is
pressed out of the capillaries. The blood is the fluid in the body that contains,
among other elements, the red blood cells (erythrocytes) that carry the oxygen
and give the blood its red color.

E. BLOOD
The familiar red fluid in the body that contains white and red blood cells,
platelets, proteins, and other elements. The blood is transported throughout the
body by the circulatory system. Blood functions in two directions: arterial and
venous. Arterial blood is the means by which oxygen and nutrients are
transported to tissues while venous blood is the means by which carbon dioxide
and metabolic by-products are transported to the lungs and kidneys, respectively,
for removal from the body.
Tunica Intima
The inner layer (tunica intima) is the thinnest layer, formed from a single
continuous layer of endothelial cells and supported by a subendothelial layer of
connective tissue and supportive cells. In smaller arterioles or venules, this
subendothelial layer consists of a single layer of cells, but can be much thicker in
larger vessels such as the aorta. The tunica intima is surrounded by a thin
membrane comprised of elastic fibers running parallel to the vessel. Capillaries
consist only of the thin endothelial layer of cells with an associated thin layer of
connective tissue.

Tunica Media
Surrounding the tunica intima is the tunica media, comprised of smooth muscle
cells and elastic and connective tissues arranged circularly around the vessel.
This layer is much thicker in arteries than in veins. Fiber composition also differs;
veins contain fewer elastic fibers and function to control caliber of the arteries, a
key step in maintaining blood pressure.

Tunica Externa
The outermost layer is the tunica externa or tunica adventitia, composed entirely
of connective fibers and surrounded by an external elastic lamina which functions
to anchor vessels with surrounding tissues. The tunica externa is often thicker in
veins to prevent collapse of the blood vessel and provide protection from damage
since veins may be superficially located.
.