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A capillary is a small blood vessel, from 5 to 10 micrometres in diameter, and is part of the microcirculation system. Capillaries are microvessels and the smallest blood vessels in the body. They are composed of only the tunica intima (the innermost layer of an artery or vein), consisting of a thin wall of simple squamous endothelial cells. [2]
General diagram of a portal venous system, for example, this occurs in the hypophyseal portal system between the hypothalamus and the anterior pituitary gland.. In the circulatory system of vertebrates, a portal venous system occurs when a capillary bed pools into another capillary bed through veins, without first going through the heart.
In vertebrates, the circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the body. [1] [2] It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, that consists of the heart and blood vessels (from Greek kardia meaning heart, and Latin vascula meaning vessels).
Blood vessels function to transport blood to an animal's body tissues. In general, arteries and arterioles transport oxygenated blood from the lungs to the body and its organs, and veins and venules transport deoxygenated blood from the body to the lungs. Blood vessels also circulate blood throughout the circulatory system.
The microcirculation has three major components: pre-capillary, capillary, and post-capillary. In the pre-capillary sector, arterioles, and precapillary sphincters participate. Their function is to regulate blood flow before it enters the capillaries and venules by the contraction and relaxation of the smooth muscle found on their walls.
The interchange of materials between cells and fluid, which happens via diffusion or active transport, is considerably accelerated because tissue fluid-carrying dissolved nutrients are in direct touch with tissue cells. Tissue fluid is generally reabsorbed into capillaries after the exchange, which eventually empties into venules
The increased lung pressure pushes the air out of the lungs. [2] The primary function of ventilation is the replacement of the stale gases in the lungs with oxygen-rich air through the removal of carbon dioxide for oxygenation of the blood. [5] The oxygen is then supplied to the entire body through the circulatory system.