Morphological Characteristics of Blood Vessels (Circulatory System)

Region Function Layers

tunica intima tunica media tunica adventitia
heart pump endocardium myocardium (=cardiac epicardium (=visceral
(=endothelium, thin muscle) pericardium and
subendocardial subepicardial areolar
connective tissue, connective tissue with
fibroelastic connective coronary vessels)
tissue)
elastic conducting endothelium with 40–60 spiraling thin to well-developed
arteries Weibel Palade granules, fenestrated sheets of fibrous connective tissue,
thick subendothelial elastic laminae vasa vasorum, nervi
connective tissue, a few alternating with layers vascularis
longitudinal smooth of smooth
muscle fibers muscle/collagen/elastic
fibers (=lamellar units)
muscular distributing endothelium, smooth muscle layers [external elastic lamina
arteries subendothelial areolar with some elastin fibers only in largest arteries]
connective tissue, some (not laminae) (large art: mostly collagen merges
longitudinal smooth 20–40 layers; small art: with surrounding
muscle 3–20 layers) connective tissue, vasa
[internal elastic lamina] vasorum, nervi vascularis
arterioles regulating endothelium, thin or no fewer than three layers very thin connective
subendothelial of smooth muscle cells tissue, merges with
connective tissue surrounding connective
[internal elastic lamina] tissue
capillaries exchange endothelium (occasional none none
pericytes)
venules exchange, endothelium, some very thin; 0–3 layers of very thin: mostly collagen
capacitance pericytes smooth muscle
veins capacitance, endothelium, little thin and loosely packed: relatively thick
returning subendothelial 1–3 layers smooth longitudinal collagen,
connective tissue, muscle with associated elastic fibers, fibroblasts
valves reticular and elastic
fibers
large vein returning endothelium, thick poorly developed; 3–12 relatively thick
subendothelial layers smooth muscle longitudinal bundles of
connective tissue, loosely arranged with smooth muscle and
longitudinal smooth associated connective collagen fibers, vasa
muscle tissue vasorum

KARLA SANCHEZ Histology Reviewer Page 1 of 7

 heart pump endocardium myocardium epicardium

Comparison of Capillaries, Sinusoids, and Lymphatic Capillaries (Circulatory System)

Continuous Fenestrated Sinusoidal capillaries Lymphatic

capillaries capillaries capillaries
common name somatic capillary visceral capillary sinus lymphatic
typical location CNS, muscle, lung, many glomerulus of kidney, liver, spleen, bone marrow, in most tissues except
connective tissues endocrine glands, most lymph node brain, bone, cartilage,
viscera placenta
endothelial continuity continuous continuous discontinuous continuous
fenestrations none (caveolae present) many pores, 60–100 nm may be present only in lacteals
in diameter; pores
(fenestrations) may be in
patches
lumen diameter and small (5–12 m), regular small (5–12 m), regular large (30–50 m), fits in large (10–50 m),
profile profile profile tissue spaces irregular profile
basement membrane well-developed, well-developed, scanty or absent scanty or absent
continuous continuous
intercellular spaces none none present, up to 0.5 m none
intercellular junctions fascia or zonula occludens fascia occludens absent, except in spleen usually absent
pericytes present present absent (macrophages may be absent
associated with the abluminal
side)

Structural Features of the Lymphoid Organs (Lymphoid Tissues and Organs)

Thymus MALT* Tonsil Lymph node Spleen

(Peyer's (palatine)

KARLA SANCHEZ Histology Reviewer Page 2 of 7

 patches)
cortex and medulla yes no no yes no
lymphoid nodules no yes yes yes yes
capsule yes no partial yes yes
cords and sinuses no no no yes yes
lymphatic vessels a few efferent only efferent only efferent only afferent and only some
efferent efferent
HEV no yes yes yes no
unique structures Hassall's located in mucosa located in cortical nodules, central arteries,
corpuscles of ileum invaginated subcapsular sinus red pulp
mucosa

Vasculature of the Spleen (Lymphoid Tissues and Organs)

Red and white frame indicates borders of red pulp and white pulp, respectively. Bold arrows indicate open circulation path, non-bold arrows
indicate closed circulation path. Click on names to load labeled image. Be aware that the diagrammed red pulp and white pulp areas are not
drawn in proper scale with respect to each other.

KARLA SANCHEZ Histology Reviewer Page 3 of 7

Structural Features of the Kidney (Urinary System)

Comparative Features of the Organs of the Alimentary Canal (Digestive System: Alimentary Canal)

system
Esophagus Stomach Small intestine Large intestine
division
organ fundic/gastri appendi
upper lower cardiac pyloric duodenum jejunum ileum colon rectum anal canal
c x
epitheliu simple columnar transition to
m stratified
stratified squamous squamous
nonkeratinized surface mucous cells enterocytes, goblet, EEC, Paneth enterocytes, goblet, EEC keratinized
epithelium of
skin
lamina cardiac gastric occasional lymphoid nodules
pyloric glands
propria glands glands inner circular, outer longitudinal
mucous,
neck, stem,
mucous, mucous, stem,
EEC, parietal
stem, EEC, EEC, parietal
and
parietal cells cells Peyer's
zymogenic GALT
cells patches
muscular scant, only only
inner circular, outer longitudinal, inner circular, outer
is longitudina longitudina
outermost circular longitudinal
mucosa l l
submuco Brunner's
sa glands
muscular skeletal standard inner oblique, mid circular, inner: pyloric standard two layers standar taenia standar inner: internal
is muscle two layers outer longitudinal sphincter d two coli d two anal sphincter

KARLA SANCHEZ Histology Reviewer Page 4 of 7

externa layers layers
serosa/ serosa
adventiti serosa and and
adventitia serosa serosa serosa serosa adventitia
a adventitia adventiti
a
Structural Features in the Respiratory Tract (Respiratory System)

Epithelium Epithelial cells Mucous Glands Cartilage Elastic Smooth muscle

cells fibers
trachea pseudostratified ciliated, mucous,* & present seromucous C-shaped rings present spans open ends of C-shaped rings
basal* +++++
large " " present seromucous irregular rings abundan spiral bundles encircling mucosa
bronchi +++ t /submucosa
small " " present seromucous plates & " spiraling bundles
bronchi + islands
bronchiole transition to simple ciliated & Clara* few-to- none none " wide-spread spiral bundles
columnar none
respiratory simple columnar & as above, + type I & none none none + sparser bundles
bronchiole alveoli II*
alveolar alveoli & simple type I & type II* none none none + minimal bundles with sphincter at
duct columnar end
alveolar simple alveolar " none none none + none
sac epithelium
alveolus simple alveolar + none none none + none
epithelium
* denotes a cycling cell

KARLA SANCHEZ Histology Reviewer Page 5 of 7

Cellular Ultrastructure (Ultrastructure of the Cell)

KARLA SANCHEZ Histology Reviewer Page 6 of 7

Hemopoiesis (from Bone Marrow and Hemopoiesis)

Erythroblast Series
Nucleus Cytoplasmic granules Name
very immature (large very blue proerthroblast
dispersed, chromatin, 2–5
nucleoli) Granulocyte Series
Nucleus Cytoplasmic granules Name
immature (large, dispersed none (light blue cytoplasm) myoblast
chromatin clumps fine intensely blue basophilic erthroblast chromatin, 2–5 nuclei)

chromatin clumps very grey and blue patches polychromatic erthroblast only azurophilic granules promyelocyte
coarse

oval to slightly dented azurophilic granules plus n. myelocyte

nucleus condensed the color of reticulocytes orthochromatic erthroblast neutrophilic granules or e. myelocyte
eosinophilic granules or b. myelocyte
basophilic granules
no nucleus reticulocyte

c-shape to deeply indented n. metamyelocyte

e. metamyelocyte
b. metamyelocyte

u-shape with some n. band or stab

constriction

lobed polymorphonuclear
neutrophil
polymorphonuclear
eosinophil
polymorphonuclear
basophil

KARLA SANCHEZ Histology Reviewer Page 7 of 7