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The tunica intima (Neo-Latin "inner coat"), or intima for short, is the innermost tunica (layer) of an artery or vein. It is made up of one layer of endothelial cells (and macrophages in areas of disturbed blood flow), [1] [2] and is supported by an internal elastic lamina. The endothelial cells are in direct contact with the blood flow.
The converse argument is that generally artery walls are thicker and more muscular than veins as the blood passing through is of a higher pressure. This means that it would take longer for any oxygen to diffuse through to the cells in the tunica adventitia and the tunica media, causing them to need a more extensive vasa vasorum.
The tunica intima of muscular arteries features a thin subendothelial layer and a prominent internal elastic lamina, while the media may contain up to 40 layers of large smooth muscle cells interspersed with a variable number of elastic lamellae, depending on the vessel size. Only the larger muscular arteries possess an external elastic lamina.
Micrograph showing the internal elastic lamina (thin pink wavy line - image edge mid-left to image edge bottom-centre-left). H&E stain.. The internal elastic lamina or internal elastic lamella is a layer of elastic tissue that forms the outermost part of the tunica intima of blood vessels.
The tunica media may (especially in arteries) be rich in vascular smooth muscle, which controls the caliber of the vessel. Veins do not have the external elastic lamina, but only an internal one. The tunica media is thicker in the arteries rather than the veins. The outer layer is the tunica adventitia and the thickest layer in veins. It is ...
The tunica media is made up of smooth muscle cells, elastic tissue and collagen. It lies between the tunica intima on the inside and the tunica externa on the outside. The middle coat (tunica media) is distinguished from the inner (tunica intima) by its color and by the transverse arrangement of its fibers.
Tunica albuginea is a general term for a tunic of whitish connective tissue. In human anatomy, it generally is applied in three contexts: the fibrous sheath of the corpora cavernosa penis, the fibrous tunic of the testis, and the connective tissue tunic around the ovaries. [6] Tunica dartos is a muscular tunic beneath the skin of the scrotum ...
Tunica albuginea (disambiguation), three different layers of connective tissue; Tunica vasculosa (disambiguation), two different vascular layers; Tunica externa, outermost tunica (layer) of a blood vessel, surrounding the tunica media; Tunica intima, for short, is the innermost tunica (layer) of an artery or vein