HISTOLOGY OF BLOOD VESSELS,

NERVES AND MUSCLES

MICROSCOPIC
ANATOMY OF CELLS AND
TISSUES

FOUR BASIC TYPES OF TISSUES:

Epithelial

Muscular

Nervous

Connective
 HISTOLOGY OF BLOOD
VESSELS
 VASCULAR SYSTEM

CARDIOVASCULAR LYMPHATIC
SYSTEM SYSTEM

1. LYMPHATIC
BLOOD VESSELS CAPILLARIES
1. ARTERIES 2. LYMPHATIC
HEART
2. CAPILLARIES VESSELS
3. VEINS 3. LYMPHOID
ORGANS
 BLOOD VESSELS
The blood vascular system
distributes nutrients, gases, hormones to all parts of
the body
collects wastes produced during cellular metabolism

TAKE BLOOD FROM HEART TO

ARTERIES VARIOUS TISSUES

EXCHANGE OF VARIOUS
CAPILLARIE SUBSTANCES BETWEEN BLOOD
S AND TISSUES

RETURN BLOOD TO THE

VEINS HEART
 arteries

Elastic artery

Muscular artery

Arterioles
 STRUCTURE OF ARTERIES
TUNICA INTIMA TUNICA MEDIA TUNICA ADVENTITIA
Inner most layer Middle layer Outer layer

1. Endothelial lining 1. Elastic tissue or 1. Collagen fibres

smooth muscle embedded in
connective tissue

2. Basal lamina 2. External elastic

lamina

3. Subendothelial
connective tissue

4. Internal elastic
lamina
 ELASTIC ARTERIES
LARGE ARTERIES or CONDUCTING ARTERIES

ELASTIC ARTERIES INCLUDE,

THE AORTA

CAROTID ARTERY - NECK

SUBCLAVIAN ARTERY
AXILLARY ARTERY - LIMBS
ILIAC ARTERY
 HISTOLOGY OF ELASTIC ARTERIES

Tunica intima Tunica media Tunica

adventitia
Thin Thick Thin
Endothelium Mainly elastic Elastic fibers
tissue
Basal lamina 40 60 layers of Merge with
concentrically external elastic
arranged laminae lamina

Subendothelial Some smooth

connec tissue muscle cells and
contains more connective tissue
elastic fibers may be present

Internal elastic External elastic

lamina - not lamina - not
distinct from distinct from
tunica media tunica adventitia
FUNCTIONS OF ELASTIC ARTERIES

Conduct blood from heart

During systole - blood enters with
force and they distend due to their
elastic laminae
During diastole - the elastic walls
recoil thereby pushing the blood into
smaller arteries

Hence because of this elastic nature

that blood flows continuously through
arteries
 MUSCULAR ARTERIES
MEDIUM TO SMALLER ARTERIES or
DISTRIBUTING ARTERIES
TUNICA INTIMA TUNICA MEDIA TUNICA
ADVENTITIA
Thin Thick Thick
Endothelium Mainly smooth Collagen fibers
muscles
Basal lamina 5 40 layers of
circular smooth mm
Subendothelial Some connective
layer collagen tissue and elastic
fibers with fibers may be
scattered elastic present
fibers and
fibroblasts
Internal elastic External elastic
lamina - distinct & lamina - distinct.
folded May be indistinct in
FUNCTIONS OF MUSCULAR ARTERIES

Regulate the amount of blood flow to the

tissues by contraction or relaxation of
smooth muscle layer wall
ARTERIOLES - PERIPHERAL
RESISTANCE VESSELS
MUSCULAR ARTERIOLES TERMINAL
Diameter = 100 50 u ARTERIOLES
T. INTIMA Diameter = < 50 u
o Very thin T. INTIMA
o Only endothelium Only endothelium
o No internal elastic T. MEDIA
lamina thin layer of
T. MEDIA
muscle
o Few layers of smooth
T. ADVENTITIA
muscle
T. ADVENTITIA poorly defined
o Poorly defined
 ARTERIOLES

META ARTERIOLES
lateral branches from the terminal arterioles
to capillary bed
guarded by pre-capillary sphincter

FUNCTIONS OF ARTERIOLES
Redistribute blood flow to capillaries
Alter blood pressure by altering peripheral
resistance to blood flow.
Arterioles can change diameter very drastically
therefore affecting blood pressure and flow
patterns
 CAPILLARIES

DIAMETER 8 um

HISTOLOGY

Endothelial cells lined by Basal lamina

Overlying basal lamina, there may be
isolated branching perivascular cells PERICYTES
and a delicate network of reticular fibers and
cells

FUNCTIONS
Exchange of oxygen, carbondioxide, fluids
and various molecues between blood and tissues.
CAPILLARY BED

CONTINUOUS
CAPILLARIES
Edges of endothelial
cells fuse completely
with those of
adjoining cells to
form a continuous
wall
Exchange thro cytoplasm
of endothelial cells
Pinocytic vesicles and
caveolae
Seen in skin, conn tissue,
mucle, lung and brain
CAPILLARIES
SINUSOIDAL FENESTRATED
CAPILLARIES CAPILLARIES
Exhibit irregular The walls of
tortuous path and capillaries have
irregular lumen apertures in their
endothelial lining
Wide gap between
endothelial cells Exchange thro fenestrae
in the capillary wall
Basement Seen in renal glomeruli,
intestinal villi, endocrine
membrane is glands, pancreas
incomplete
Direct exchange of
molecules
Seen in liver spleen
and bone marrow
 VEINS

From capillaries blood flows into

venules and veins of increasing size.

Veins are arbitrarily classified into

small contain valves to
prevent
medium backflow of blood

large
 VENULES
Smallest veins into which capillary drains

POST MUSCULAR
CAPILLARY VENULES
VENULES
Contains Enothelium,
Contains Endothelium, Basal lamina, some
Basal lamina and Thin muscle layer in T.
Adventitia containing Media and Adventitia
collagen fibers. containing collagen
fibers
Pericytes may be
present Collect blood from
 STRUCTURE OF VEINS

Similar to arteries except in following respects:

1. Thinner walls
2. Tunica media more collagen and less muscular and
elastic tissue
3. Veins can easily be compressed and collapse after
death while arteries maintain patency
4. Adventitia of veins is thicker than media
5. A clear distinction between between the layers
cannot be made out in small veins as all these layers
consists predominantly of fibrous tissue
 VENOUS VALVES

Venous valves are formed by the

infolding endothelium of intimal
layer.
Valves are absent in very small
veins; veins within CNS or in
vertebral canal; in the vena
cavae and in some other veins.
HISTOLOGY OF NERVOUS TISSUE
HISTOLOGY OF NERVOUS TISSUE

Two types of neural cells in the

nervous system:
Neurons - For processing, transfer,
and storage of information
Neuroglia For support, regulation
& protection of neurons
 NEURONS
- Basic unit of nervous system
- They possess electrical excitability ,
the ability to respond to a stimulus
and convert it into an action potential.
- Provide most of the unique functions of
the nervous system such as sensing ,
thinking , remembering , controlling
muscle activity and regulating
glandular secretions .

- It Consists of:
- a cell body.
- a single axon.
 CELL BODY
Perikaryon or soma.
It is basically a cell nucleus surrounded
by cytoplasm.
Nuclei of nerve cells are large, round
and euchromatic with a single
prominent nucleolus
Cytoplasm of nerve cell bodies is
abundantly supplied with:
- masses of rough endoplasmic
reticulum
- numerous Golgi bodies
- lots of smooth endoplasmic
reticulum
- many mitochondria
 Axon
specialized for conducting signals from one
nerve cell to another or to muscle fiber or gland
cell.
Long , thin , cylindrical projection that often join
the cell body at a cone-shaped elevation called:
The axon Hillock.
due to lack of RER, protein synthesis doesnt
occur in axon.
Axons with myelin are called myelinated
axons.
Myelin is formed by support cells (Schwann
Cells in the peripheral nerve system,
oligodendroglia in the CNS) wrapping around
the axons.
 Dendrites

receiving or input portions of the

neuron.
Short , tapering and hightly branched.
their cytoplasm contains nissel
bodies(clusters of RER), mitochondria
and other organelles.
 NERVE FIBRE
Nerve fiber is a general term for any
neural process ( extension ) that
emerges from the cell body of a neuron
and it consists of an axon and myelin
sheath (if present) in the nervous
system

There are nerve fibers in CNS and PNS

It may be myelinated and/or
unmyelinated (in CNS)
It is made up of many nerve cell fibers
bound together by connective tissue , It
has 3 parts :
 NERVE CELL FIBER
- Epineurium : A sheath
of dense connective tissue
surrounds the nerve.
Blood vessels of various
sizes can be seen in the
epineurium.
- Perineurium : A sheath
penetrates the nerve to
form the perineurium
which surrounds bundles
of nerve fibers.
- Endoneurium : which
consists of a thin layer of
loose connective tissue,
surrounds the individual
 MYELINATION
The myelin sheath is formed by
multilayered lipid and protein that
covers axons.

The sheath electrically insulates the

axon of a neuron and increases the
speed of nerve impulse conduction. The
amount of myelin increases from birth
to maturity .
34
 Classification of neurons
Structural classification based on number of
processes coming off of the cell body:
 Classification of neurons
Functional classification based on type of information &
direction of information transmission:
Sensory (afferent) neurons
transmit sensory information from receptors of PNS towards the CNS
most sensory neurons are unipolar, a few are bipolar
Motor (efferent) neurons
transmit motor information from the CNS to effectors
(muscles/glands/adipose tissue) in the periphery of the body
all are multipolar
Association (interneurons)
transmit information between neurons within the CNS; analyze inputs,
coordinate outputs
are the most common type of neuron (20 billion)
are all multipolar
Synapse
The connection between 2 or more
nerves and they are separated by a
space or cleft.

38
Types of synapses
 Synaptic terminology
Synapse site where two nerves
communicate with each other.
Presynaptic neuron neuron that is
conducting information toward the next
neuron
Postsynaptic neuron transmits
information away from synapse
Most synaptic communication is via
chemical messengers (e.g. acetylcholine,
serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine,
endorphins, GABA, glycine, glutamic acid,
 Axonal degeneration
regeneration

Nerve tracts in the CNS are incapable of

regeneration on their own.

In the PNS, nerves can regenerate but vey

slowly and under only ideal conditions.
Regeneration is dependent on 3 things: (a).
Amount of damage, (b). Neurolemmocyte
secretion of nerve growth factor and (c). The
distance from the site of the damage to the end
organ being reinnervated.
Regeneration occurs at a rate of ~ 1 to 5
mm/day.
 AXONAL REACTION
Local reaction
Severed ends of the retract

Macrophage & fibroblasts infiltration

Anterograde reaction or wallerian degeneration
Axon terminal degeneration axon
neurofilaments and schwann cells break down ;
macrophages remove them.
Schwann cells proliferation form numerous
tubes(macrophages secrete substance for
proliferation of schwann cells)
Retrograde reaction
Chromatolysis in perikaryon
Several sprouts of axons emerge from proximal stump

Axon sprouts enter the schwan tubes and guided to

22/04/2009 42

reach the target organ

Axon reaction

3/21/17 43
REGENERATION OF CNS ??
Regeneration nerve fibers in CNS is not
possible, because :
Absence of nerve growth factor in CNS
Failure of Oligodendrocytes to serve in the
same manner as schwann cells
Astrocytes deposit scar tissue (plaque)
Neuroglial cells may produce nerve growth
inhibiting factors

3/21/17 44
HISTOLOGY OF MUSCLE TISSUE
 Muscle Tissue Types
Muscle tissue myocytes (elongated in one
direction muscle fibres)
Skeletal
Attached to bones
Nuclei multiple and peripherally located
Striated, Voluntary and involuntary (reflexes)
Smooth
Walls of hollow organs, blood vessels, eye,
glands, skin
Single nucleus centrally located
Not striated, involuntary, gap junctions in
visceral smooth
Cardiac
Heart 46

SKELETAL MUSCLE
Contractile apparatus of skeletal
muscle
Cytoplasm has numerous longitudinal fibrils called
myofibrils
Myofibrils made of myofilaments whose regular
arrangement give rise to cross striations
Following H&E STAIN dark and light bands are seen
Dark bands A BAND
Light bands I BAND
Various bands are present on the myofibril
Part of myofibril between two consecutive Z
bands is called sarcomere
Rows of sarcomere form myofibril and extend
throughout the length of skeletal muscle fibre
TYPES OF SMOOTH
MUSCLES
MULTI UNIT SINGLE UNIT

Fewer gap junctions Function as a single

histilogically unit
cells are Histologically a lot of
independent gap junctions
Smooth muscles in Smooth muscle in
the wlls of blood the gi tract
vessels
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CARDIAC
AND SKELETAL MUSCLE
Fibers do not run in strict parallel formation,
branch and anastomose to form network
Each myocyte is 80 um long and 15 um broad
Nucleus located in centre
Sarcoplasm is abundant
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CARDIAC
AND SKELETAL MUSCLE
Numerous mitochondria
Myofibrils are relatively few
Myofibrils merge at places
So striations are not as distinct as skeletal muscle
Significant amount of glycogen, myoglobin and
rich density of capillary network around the fibres
Sarcoplasmic reticulum is much less prominent
than in skeletal muscle
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SKELETAL
AND CARDIAC MUSCLE

Intercalated discs junction between adjoining

myocytes seen as dark transverse line
Cell membranes of adjoining myocytes are
connected by numerous desmosomes, gap
junctions and tight junctions
Gap junctions allow electrical continuity between
adjacent myocytes physiological syncitium
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CARDIAC
AND SMOOTH MUSCLE
Inherent contractility in a rhythmic manner
Hence nerve supply is not necessary for
contraction of cardiac muscle
However nerves influences the strength and rate
of contraction of the heart
Thank you