Cardiovascular system tone regulation

The continuous bifurcation of arteries within the cardiovascular system leads to blood flow within the smallest blood vessels of the arterial tree, the capillaries. The function of these important arterioles is to limit blood flow from the larger arteries in order to prevent damage to the fragile capillaries that connect the arterial vascular tree to the venous system. The capillaries also regulate, through a complex interaction with autacoids, hormones and neurotransmitters, the microcirculation by altering arterial smooth muscle wall tone (Pugsley and Tabrizchi 2000). 

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