Media / Tunica Media

• Media:

  • the thickest layer of the arterial wall and as the middle layer lies sandwiched between the intima and the adventitia
  • The media is composed mainly of smooth muscle cells within a matrix of collagen, proteoglycans and some elastin fibres
• Media:

  • The media is separated from both the intima and the adventitia by a thin layer of collagenous tissue known as the internal and external elastic laminae
  • These laminae are not dense structures and there are plenty of gaps between elastic fibres to allow molecules and even cells to pass through
• Vessel Architecture:

  A) Media