Small artery - plastic section (100x
objective lens)
This higher magnification view of a small artery in the connective tissue
of the colon, shows from the lumen outwards: 1) endothelial
cell nuclei cut in cross section(tunica intima); 2) the internal
elastic lamina, which appears as a characteristic wavy line; 3) 4-5
layers of smooth muscle cells (tunica
media), whose nuclei are cut longitudinally;
and 4) a thin layer of collagenous connective tissue
(tunica adventitia), in which flattened
fibroblast nuclei are visible.
