KINE 2011 Lecture Notes - Nitric Oxide Synthase, Vascular Smooth Muscle, Smooth Muscle Tissue
29 Mar 2014
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Document Summary
Endothelial cells are in direct contact with the blood (thin layer of cells) Smooth muscle cells form layers around the endothelial cells. Arteriole is a nice long tube, endothelial cells run lengthwise along the surface , smooth muscle cells are circumferentially around it. Wrapping around allows the smooth muscle to control the diameter of the arteriole. The smooth muscle cells can change capacity, contract and relax. If they are fully contracted, they are going to squeeze the arteriole to smaller diameter which will create a high resistance flow pathway (more difficult for blood to enter and pass through this arteriole). If smooth muscle small relax then arteriole can take a larger circumference , and a lot more blood can pass through it. That is whats going on in order to mainupulate blood flow through arteriole. Endothelial cells, they are the inner lining of all the blood vessels, cardiac chambers, & arterioles.
