The cells of twelve arterioles have been reconstructed from serial Araldite sections of 0.5 µm thickness stained with toluidine blue. Each arteriole had a single layer of smooth muscle cells. Each cell was spindle-shaped, contained one nucleus and was wound around part of the circumference of the arteriole. A 30-µm length of arteriole contained 19.1 ± SEM 2.2 nuclei, and therefore the same number of smooth muscle cells. This number did not vary with ãrteriolar internal diameters in the range 11–31 µm. The maximal axial width of the cells was found by inspection to be 4.2 ± 0.2 µm and this too was independent of the ãrteriolar diameter. From the number and width of the cells and the surface area of the arteriole, the length of the cells was calculated to be 47 ± 6 µm. The length was greater in the large arterioles and was 90% of the circumference on average. The thickness of the smooth muscle cells in the radial direction was 3.3 ± 0.2 µm. The helical pitch of the cellular axes to the axis of the arteriole was 81.3 ± 1.5 °. These results are discussed in relation to the tension developed in ãrteriolar walls and in relation to the electrotonic spread of current from cell to cell along an arteriole that has been measured with intracellular electrodes.

This content is only available via PDF.
Copyright / Drug Dosage / Disclaimer
Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated into other languages, reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, microcopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Drug Dosage: The authors and the publisher have exerted every effort to ensure that drug selection and dosage set forth in this text are in accord with current recommendations and practice at the time of publication. However, in view of ongoing research, changes in government regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to drug therapy and drug reactions, the reader is urged to check the package insert for each drug for any changes in indications and dosage and for added warnings and precautions. This is particularly important when the recommended agent is a new and/or infrequently employed drug.
Disclaimer: The statements, opinions and data contained in this publication are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publishers and the editor(s). The appearance of advertisements or/and product references in the publication is not a warranty, endorsement, or approval of the products or services advertised or of their effectiveness, quality or safety. The publisher and the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content or advertisements.
You do not currently have access to this content.