Blood capillaries wall, structure

The structure of the blood capillary wall is complex and varies in different organs and tissues. It consists of a single layer of endothelial cells joined together by intercellular junctions. Each endothelial cell, on an average, is 20-40 pm long, 10-15 pm wide, and 0.1-0.5 pm thick, and contains 10,000-15,000 uniform, spherical vesicles called plasmalemmal vesicles. These vesicles range in size between 60 and 80 nm in diameter. About 70% of these vesicles open on the luminal side of the endothelial surface, and the remaining open within the cytoplasm. Plasmalemmal vesicles are believed to be involved in the pinocytic transport of substances across the endothelium. The transition time of pinocytic vesicles across the cell is... 

Biodistribution of plasmid to either extracellular or intracellular targets is dependent on the structure of capillary walls, (patho)physiological conditions, the rate of blood and lymph supply, the physicochemical properties of plasmid and its carrier molecules. The fate of plasmid after in vivo administration is illustrated in Figure 14.4. The blood capillary walls are comprised of four layers, namely plasma-endothelial interface, endothelium, basal lamina, and adventia. Macromolecules can cross the endothelial barrier ... 

Many diseases result from the dysfunction of cells located outside the cardiovascular system. Thus, for a drug to exert its therapeutic effects, it must exit from the central circulation and interact with its extravascular-extraceUular or extravascular-intracellular target(s). This process of transvascular exchange is called extravasation, and it is governed by the permeability of blood capillary walls. The main biological features that control permeability of capillaries include the structure of the capillary wall under normal... 

Most drugs are eliniinated in urine either chemically unchanged or as metabolites. The kidney permits elimination because the vascular wall structure in the region of the glomerular capillaries (B) allows unimpeded passage of blood solutes having molecular weights (MW)... 

Capillaries are the exchange vessels of the body. They have structural variations to allow different levels of metabolic exchange (of exogenous and endogenous substances) between blood and the surrounding tissues. The structure of the walls varies depending on their resident tissue. There are three major types of blood capillaries continuous fenestrated and sinusoidal (discontinuous) [1] ... 

Figure 12.1 illustrates the main structure of a nephron [1], The measurements to be reported in this chapter were performed on rats. A rat kidney contains approximately 30000 nephrons as compared to the one million nephrons in a human kidney. The process of urine formation starts with the filtration of plasma in the glomerulus, a system of 20-40 capillary loops. The presence of a relatively high hydrostatic pressure in this system allows water, salts and small molecules to pass out through the capillary wall and into the proximal tubule. Blood cells and proteins are retained, and the filtration process saturates when the protein osmotic pressure balances the hydrostatic pressure difference between the blood and the filtrate in the tubule. For superficial nephrons, the proximal tubule is visible in the surface of the kidney and easily accessible for pressure measurements by means of a thin glass pipette. 

Figure 5.1 Schematic illustration of the structure of the wall of different classes of blood capillaries. (1) Continuous capillary (as found in the general circulation). The endothelium is continuous with tight junctions between adjacent endothelial cells. The subendothehal basement membrane is also continuous. (2) Fenestrated capillary (as found in exocrine glands and the pancreas). The endothelium exhibits a series of fenestrae which are sealed by a membranous diaphragm. The subendothehal basement membrane is continuous. (3) Discontinuous (sinusoidal) capillary (as found in the liver, spleen and bone marrow). The overlying endothelium contains numerous gaps of varying size. The subendothehal basement is either absent (hver) or present as a fragmented interrupted structure (spleen, bone marrow)...

It is not only the polymer circulating in the blood and lymph which can participate in the formation of the intracellular depo. The epithelial cells of kidney tubules are a very important part of the intracellular compartment (Fig. 5 b). The primary filtrate formed during ultrafiltration through the capillary wall of the, glomerulus is further processed in the tubulus (tube-like structures with walls consisting of a monolayer of epithelial cells) at the end of which the concentrated urine is collected. In the tubulus, mainly in the part proximal to the glomerulus, more than 99 % of the fluid filtered in... 

The respiratory system is divided into two areas the upper and the lower respiratory system. The upper respiratory system is composed of the nose, sinuses, mouth, pharynx (section between the mouth and esophagus), larynx (the voice box), and the trachea or windpipe. The lower respiratory system is composed of the lungs and its smaller structures, including the bronchi and the alveoli. The bronchial tubes carry fresh air from the trachea through a series of branching tubes to the alveoli. The alveoli are small blind air sacs where the gas exchange with the blood occurs. An estimated 300 million alveoli are found in a normal lung. These alveoli contribute a total surface area of approximately 70 m2. Small capillaries found in the walls of the alveoli transport the blood an estimated 100 ml of blood is in the capillaries at any moment. 

Blood is pumped away from the heart through arteries it permeates the tissues through networks of very small capillaries where nutrient delivery, gas exchange and waste removal occur and is finally returned to the heart via the veins. The structures of the arteries and veins differ in important ways. First, the veins have one-way valves which prevent the back-flow of blood and second, the walls of the arteries are much thicker, due largely to the layer of smooth muscle cells. Both types of vessel are lined on their inner surface with endothelial cells. Refer to Figure 5.2. 

The brain capillaries are tightly joined and covered by a footlike sheath that arises from astrocytes. Thus, a drug leaving the capillaries in the brain has to traverse not only the nonporous capillary cell wall, but also the membranes of the astrocyte, in order to reach the neurons. Such a structure, frequently referred to as the blood-brain barrier, tends to limit the entry of many drugs into the brain. 

Blood vessels include capillaries, arterioles, arteries, and veins. Each of these structures is composed of three layers the intima, media, and adventitia (Figure 3.12). For example, in elastic arteries the wall consists of an intimal layer containing endothelial cells and connective tissue a media containing smooth muscle cells, collagen, and elastic fibers and an adventitia containing collagen fibers, nerves, and blood vessels. In cross-section,... 

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