Types of Blood Vessels with Functions

Types of Blood Vessels with Functions

The human body is made up of a network of blood vessels that helps in transporting water and minerals to and from a body part. These blood vessels are a complicated and hollow network of blood vessels constructed out of the connective tissue and the muscle with an inner lining of the endothelial tissue. This endo lining is found in body parts, including brains, lungs, skin, and heart. Here is a guide on the types of blood vessels with their functions. 

How Does Blood Circulation Take Place?

Blood flows through the hollow blood vessels that have formed a cardiovascular system comprising of the heart and the circulatory system. The process takes place in a way that the heart carries blood from the bigger to smaller arterioles, capillaries, or veins back to the heart. The oxygenated and deoxygenated blood travels through the two types of blood vessels. These include pulmonary and systemic from the heart of the lungs. The process of flow of blood is known as microcirculation. Along with blood, there moves the oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, and waste, etc.

The Main Types of Blood Vessels with Features 

Arteries

  • Elastic vessels that transport blood away from the heart
  • Two kinds of arteries include:

Pulmonary arteries – Carries oxygen in the blood from the heart and the lungs 

Systemic arteries – Delivers blood to the entire body steadily

The muscular tissue of arteries is made up of three layers, namely:

  • The smooth inner lining is known as the endothelium
  • The mid-layer of the muscle enables handling of the pressure known as media
  • The connective tissue that anchors arteries to nearby tissues is known as adventitia

Veins

  • Elastic vessels that transport blood to the heart
  • Four kinds of veins include:

Pulmonary veins: Carries oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium of the heart

Systemic veins: Carries deoxygenated  blood from the rest of the body to the right atrium of the heart

Superficial veins: Present close to the skin’s surface

Deep veins: Present deep within muscle tissue 

Capillaries

  • Minute vessels present in the tissues of the body
  • Carries blood from arteries to veins

The main processes that initiate it are:

Passive diffusion: Movement of a substance from high concentration space to low concentration space 

Pinocytosis: The process by which our body cells engulf the small molecules such as fats

  • Consists of capillary beds that helps in fluid and gas exchange

Sinusoids

  • Narrow blood vessels present within the liver, spleen, and bone marrow
  • Delivers blood from larger arteries to the veins
  • Sinusoids are permeable and allow quick nutrient absorption

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