Anatomy and pharmacology of vessels

Kennedy, S. and Touyz, R. M. (2019) Anatomy and pharmacology of vessels. In: Touyz, R. M. and Delles, C. (eds.) Textbook of Vascular Medicine. Springer: Cham, pp. 3-11. ISBN 9783030164805 (doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-16481-2_1)

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Abstract

A typical blood vessel is arranged in three distinct layers forming concentric circles. The innermost layer in contact with the blood is composed of endothelial cells on a basement membrane through which the endothelial cells and underlying vascular smooth muscle cells of the medial layer can communicate. The endothelium releases mediators and factors that have effects on vessel diameter, platelet adhesion and thrombus formation and inflammatory cell adhesion. The thickness and elasticity of the medial smooth muscle layer is dependent on the position of the vessel within the vascular tree and is adapted to the function of the vessel. The adventitia contains neural varicosities that modulate vessel diameter, and recent work has highlighted a paracrine role of the adipose tissue surrounding blood vessels. The adventitia also contains fibroblasts and inflammatory cells, such as resident macrophages. This chapter discusses blood vessel structure and function with a particular focus on how physiological mediators alter vessel diameter and how this function can go awry in some common cardiovascular diseases.

Item Type:Book Sections
Status:Published
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Kennedy, Professor Simon and Touyz, Professor Rhian
Authors: Kennedy, S., and Touyz, R. M.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health
College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Life Sciences
Publisher:Springer
ISBN:9783030164805
Published Online:03 August 2019

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