Innermost layer of an artery or vein.
The lining of an artery.
Innermost lining of a part, especially of a blood vessels.
The inner layer of the wall of an artery or vein. It is composed of a lining of endothelial cells and an elastic membrane.
The innermost coat lining the arteries and the veins.
The innermost layer of the wall of an artery or vein. It consists of a continuous layer of endothelial cells. Normally these cells are a semipermeable barrier that regulates the entry of substances from the lumen into the wall of the vessel. Materials may cross this barrier by means of transport systems. The endothelial cells are very smooth, which prevents abnormal clotting; they secrete chemicals that are important for normal blood coagulation and for controlling relaxation and contraction of the smooth muscle tissue in the middle layer of the vessel. As the normal artery ages, the intima thickens due to an increase in lipid material.
The tunica intima is the innermost layer of the three layers that make up the wall of a blood vessel.