Which Blood Vessels Lack Elastic Tissue

Blood vessels are unique aspects of the human circulatory system. Knowing which blood vessels lack elastic tissue will greatly impact how you appreciate these tiny aspects of being human.

Blood vessels circulate blood throughout your body. They help to supply oxygen to vital organs and tissues, and they also remove impurities.

The blood vessels include veins, arteries, and capillaries and the basic function of these vessels is to deliver blood to parts of your body and tissues.

These vessels also carry waste and carbon dioxide away from your organs and tissues.
Each type of blood vessel performs a different function.

Some blood vessels possess elastic tissues while others do not.

This article provides you with comprehensive information about which Blood Vessels Lack Elastic Tissue.

Let’s head right in.

What Is an Elastic Tissue

Tissues such as skin, blood vessels, and lungs need energy and elasticity to function. These tissues have to contain elastic fibers to be elastic enough.

The elastic fibers in the Extracellular matrix of these tissues provide stiffness to allow for loosening after a short stretch.

An elastic fiber is composed mainly of elastin-a highly hydrophobic protein. Soluble tropoelastin is released into the tissue’s outer space, where it forms lysine which links to other tropoelastin molecules to produce a large network of elastin fibers and sheets.

Elastin is composed of hydrophobic and alanine-rich components and lysine-rich helicals alternating near the polypeptide chain.

Hydrophobic components are responsible for expanding molecular structures.

Although the proposed formation of elastin molecules is controversial, the prevailing theory is that the elastin polypeptide chain adopts a coil conformation that allows the network to stretch and recede like a rubber band.

An elastic fiber consists of an elastin core coated with a sheath of microfibrils, composed of several different glycoproteins such as fibrillin.

Fibrillin binding elastin is essential for the elasticity of the elastic fibers.

Microfibrils that appear before elastin in growing tissues, appear to form a scaffold where hidden elastin molecules are inserted.

Elastin is produced prematurely, stabilized, and does not continue to shrink or deteriorate, with a near-life benefit.

Age-related mutations are the result of continuous degeneration as the extensor fibers gradually become tortuous, and porous.

Electron microscopy scanning shows that, in humans, the elastic meshwork grows steadily during postpartum growth, when the fibers appear to grow in tandem with tissue growth.

In cases that do not involve ulcers, there is a slight deterioration of elastin probably due to the nature of the hydrophobic elastin, making the interior of this highly concentrated protein inaccessible.

As a result of this high level of three dimensions and wide connections, cracks should be large before a significant loss of elasticity.

Glucocorticoids and basic FGF reduce the production of elastin in adult skin cells.

Genetic mutations that cause elastin deficiency result in arterial narrowing due to the excessive proliferation of smooth muscle cells in the arterial wall.

These findings suggest that normal vascular dilation is needed to prevent the proliferation of these cells.

Genetic mutations in fibrillin cause Marfan syndrome; the most affected people are prone to aortic rupture.

Blood Vessels

Blood vessels are the channels that carry blood throughout your body. They form a closed loop, like a circuit, that starts and ends in your heart.

Together, the arteries and veins form your circulatory system.

Do you know that your body contains about 60,000 miles of blood vessels intertwined through every nook and cranny of your being?

There are three categories of blood vessels present in every human, namely: Arteries, Veins, and Capillaries.

Arteries carry blood from your heart, Veins return blood to your heart, and Capillaries, the smallest blood vessels, function as a connector between the arteries and veins.

Here Is How Blood Flows Within Your Body

The blood flow process begins with the veins that carry blood to the right side of the heart where the deoxygenized blood gets mixed with oxygen.

The pulmonary arteries carry blood to your lungs, where they receive oxygen and move this oxygen-filled blood to the left side of your heart.

The aorta which happens to be the main artery in your body carries blood from the left side of your heart to your entire body through many branches in the arteries.

Capillaries act as connectors between veins and arteries. They have tiny walls that allow oxygen, nutrients, carbon dioxide, and waste products to pass, to or from the tissue cells.

The arteries then return blood to your heart, and the process keeps repeating until a complication or death.

Why Do You Have Blood Vessels?

The function of the blood vessels is to deliver blood to parts of your body and tissues.

The blood contains oxygen and nutrients that the body requires to function effectively.

Blood vessels also carry waste and carbon dioxide away from your organs and tissues.

However, as we mentioned earlier, the different types of blood vessels perform different functions.

Arteries are powerful, muscular blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart to your body.

They carry a large amount of energy and pressure in your blood but do not carry a large amount of blood.

At any given time, only about 10 to 15 percent of your body’s blood is in your arteries.

Smaller arteries are called arterioles. Both arteries and arterioles are highly flexible. They become larger or smaller to help maintain your body’s blood pressure.

Capillaries are smaller blood vessels that have narrow walls. capillaries are neither veins nor arteries. They rather perform the function of connectivity.

Oxygen and nutrients from the blood can travel through these capillary walls and enter organs and tissues.

Capillaries are where oxygen and nutrients are exchanged for carbon dioxide and waste.

Veins start out as small vessels called venules and grow larger as they get closer to your heart. Venules depend on capillaries for blood receipt.

Unlike the arteries and arteries, your veins do not have to carry much of the blood but must carry large amounts of blood not containing oxygen to your heart.

The thin, flexible walls help them withstand high volume and low pressure. Most veins have openings that expand and contract.

Valves control blood flow and keep your blood flowing in one direction. About 75% of your blood is in your veins.

There are blood vessels throughout your body. The main artery is called the aorta, and it connects to the left side of your heart.

It goes down your chest, diaphragm, and abdomen, connecting in many places. Near your pelvis, your aorta branches form two arteries that supply blood to your lower body and legs.

The main vein in your body is called the vena cava. The upper vena cava is above the right side of your chest. It carries blood from the head, neck, arms, and chest back to your heart.

The inferior vena cava is located near the right side of your diaphragm. It brings blood from your legs, feet, stomach, and hips back to your heart.

Blood vessels have a tube-like shape, but they rarely run in a straight line. Some are big enough to be seen from the top of your skin.

If you have had your blood drawn, you may have noticed veins inside your arm. It may appear green under your skin, even though your blood is red.

If you’ve ever wondered about the size of your blood vessels, you should know that some blood vessels such as the aorta, have a wide diameter.

But some blood vessels, such as capillaries, are much smaller. They range from 2 to 12 micrometers, which is less even the width of a human hair.

Blood vessels are three layers of tissue. These tissues have names:

• Tunica intima: This is the inner layer of the blood vessels and it wraps round the blood as circulates through your body.

It regulates blood pressure, blocks blood clots, and removes toxins from your bloodstream. It keeps your blood flowing smoothly.

• Media: This is the middle layer of the blood vessels that contain stretchable fibers that keep your blood flowing in one direction.

• Adventitia: This is the outer layer of blood vessels. The outer layer consists of nerves and small vessels.

It brings oxygen and nutrients into your bloodstream to your cells and helps to remove impurities. It also provides blood vessels with their structure and support.

Many problems can affect the blood vessel. These problems affect the proper functioning of the blood vessels which hampers the proper circulation of blood.

Some of these blood vessel disorders include:

• Aneurysm: Aneurysm is a lump in the weak or damaged part of the artery. Aneurysms can occur anywhere in your body. If they rupture, they can cause life-threatening internal bleeding.

• Arterial diseases: These diseases include coronary artery disease, carotid artery disease, and peripheral artery disease (PAD).

These diseases make the arteries narrower, usually due to atherosclerosis.

• Atherosclerosis: This is an artery disease that involves the formation of cholesterol, fats, and other substances inside your arteries. It can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

• Blood Clumps: These form inside the arteries or veins and block blood flow.

Blood clumps can lead to deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism, stroke, or obstruction.

• High blood pressure, or hypertension: This condition occurs when there is too much energy in the walls of your arteries.

• Raynaud’s disease: This is a blood vessel disease that causes the blood vessels in your skin to become too small due to the cold.

Which Blood Vessels Lack Elastic Tissue?

Capillaries.

Capillaries lack elastic tissue and this is due to their makeup and functionality in the human body.

Capillaries contain only about 5% of the total blood in your body. They are tiny connectors that do not need to take blood from the heart to the body or from the body to the heart.

This means that the high pressure that comes with pumping blood, does not affect the capillaries, so the capillary has no need for expansion and contraction.

Capillaries are simply connectors and lack elastic tissues.

Capillaries are vessels with small walls made up of a single endothelial layer.

Due to the small capillary walls, the exchange of nutrients and metabolites occurs mainly by circulation. The arteriolar lumen regulates blood flow through the capillaries.

Conclusion

Blood vessels are an important aspect of the human body. Like the nerves that move impulses from one part of the body to the other, the blood vessels exist to transport oxygen, carbon dioxide, and waste product around the body.

Yea, blood vessels do not transport blood alone.

In fact, your blood vessels work closely with your heart to ensure that digestion takes place in your body.

Now you know which blood vessels lack elastic tissue and you know why it is the capillary.

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