Small artery - plastic section (100x
objective lens)
This plastic section from the dermis of the skin, shows a small artery cut
in oblique section. From the lumen outwards are seen: 1) endothelial
cell nuclei cut obliquely (tunica intima); 2) the internal
elastic lamina, which appears as a thin, wavy dark line; 3) 4-5 layers
of smooth muscle cells (tunica
media), whose nuclei are cut obliquely;
and 4) a layer of collagenous connective tissue
(tunica adventitia), in which
the circular orientation of fibers can be detected
but no fibroblast nuclei are be seen.
