Chapter - 2

Objective:-

CIRCULATORY

SYSTEM

main functions of
the cardiovascular
system.
pathway of blood
through the heart.
three types of
blood vessels and
the four components
of blood.

Myth Blood is blue in color when it is not carrying

oxygen.
Fact Blood is bright red when it is carrying oxygen and
dark red when it is not. Veins appear blue in some
people because of the way light reflects from their skin.

Functions of the Circulatory System

The circulatory system has the following three main functions:
1. Delivering Materials
It transports gases (from the respiratory system), nutrient molecules, and waste
materials (from the digestive system).
2. Removing Wastes
Your cardiovascular system also transports wastes from your cells. For example, when your
cells break down glucose for energy, carbon dioxide is released as a waste product.Your
blood picks up carbon dioxide and transports it to the lungs, where it is exhaled.
3. Fighting Disease
It protects against blood loss from injury and against disease-causing microbes
or toxic substances introduced into the body.

Why do you think you breathe harder when you

exercise?

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Circulatory System---01

Types of Circulatory Systems

(i) Open circulatory system
(a) Blood does not flow in closed vessels rather it flows through parts of the
body cavity. It remains mixed with the body fluid.
(b) Sufficient high pressure for circulation is not maintained.
Organisms like prawns, and insects have open circulatory system.
(ii) Closed circulatory system
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)

Blood flows in well-defined tube-like vessels.

Sufficient high pressure is maintained .
System is more efficient than open type.
Closed system is found in all vertebrates.

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Circulatory System---02

Blood and Its Components

Blood is a special connective tissue consisting of a fluid matrix,
plasma, and formed elements.
Plasma and Its Functions
Plasma is a clear, yellowish fluid composed of about 92 percent water
and 7 percent dissolved blood proteins. Th e remaining 1 percent of
plasma consists of other organic substances and inorganic ions such
as sodium, potassium, chloride, and bicarbonate. Th e main proteins
in blood are albumin, globulins, and fibrinogen.
Fibrinogens are needed for clotting or coagulation of blood.
Globulins primarly are involved in defense mechanisms of the body
and the albumins help in osmotic balance.
Plasma also contains small amounts of mineralslike Na+, Ca++, Mg++, HCO3, Cl, etc.
Glucose, amino acids, lipids, etc., arealso present in the plasma as they are always in transit in
the body.

Red Blood Cells

Red blood cells, also called erythrocytes, make up approximately 44 percent of the total
volume of blood.
Red blood cells are specialized for oxygen transport.
The oxygen carrying Capacity of the blood is dependent on the number of erythrocytes that
are present and the amount of hemoglobin that each red blood cell contains.
Red blood cells contain hemoglobin, which is an iron-containing substance to which oxygen
binds. The reaction between oxygen and the iron in hemoglobin gives blood its bright red color.
Once oxygen has diffused to tissues, blood becomes a dull red.

Your heart can keep beating even

if it is separated from the body
because it has its own electrical
impulse.

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Circulatory System---03

White Blood Cells (Leucocytes)

They are larger than red blood cells, but far less numerous. There are several kinds of white
blood cells.Some white blood cells make chemicals that help your body resist diseases such as
cancer. Others destroy invading microorganisms by surrounding and consuming them.
We have two main categories of WBCs granulocytes and agranulocytes.
Neutrophils, eosinophils and basophils are different types of granulocytes, while lymphocytes
and monocytes are the agranulocytes.
Neutrophils are the most abundant cells (60-65 per cent) of the total WBCs and basophils are
the least (0.5-1 per cent) among them. Neutrophils and monocytes (6-8 per cent) are
phagocytic cells which destroy foreign organisms entering the body.
Basophils secrete histamine, serotonin, heparin, etc., and are involved in inflammatory
reactions.
Eosinophils (2-3 per cent) resist infections and are also associated with allergic reactions.
Lymphocytes (20-25 per cent) are of two major types B and T forms. Both B and T
lymphocytes are responsible for immune responses of the body.

Coagulation of Blood
You would have observed a dark reddish brown scum formed at the site of a cut or an injury
over a period of time. It is a clot or coagulam formed mainly of a network of threads called
fibrins in which dead and damaged formed elements of blood are trapped. Fibrins are formed
by the conversion of inactive fibrinogens in the plasma by the enzyme thrombin. Thrombins, in
turn are formed from another inactive substance present in the plasma called prothrombin.
An enzyme complex, thrombokinase, is required for the above reaction. This complex is
formed by a series of linked enzymic reactions (cascade process) involving a number of factors
present in the plasma in an inactive state. An injury or a trauma stimulates the platelets in the
blood to release certain factors which activate the mechanism of coagulation. Certain factors
released by the tissues at the site of injury also can initiate coagulation. Calcium ions play a
very important role in clotting.

Blood Without "Clotting Factor is

Called Serum".
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Circulatory System---04

Structure of the Heart

Human circulatory system, also called the blood vascular system consists of a muscular
chambered heart, a network of closed branching blood vessels and blood, the fluid which is
circulated. Heart, the mesodermally derived organ, is situated in the thoracic cavity, in
between the two lungs, slightly tilted to the left. It has the size of a clenched fist. It is
protected by a double walled membranous bag, pericardium, enclosing the pericardial fluid.
Our heart has four chambers, two relatively small upper chambers called atria and two larger
lower chambers called ventricles.

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Circulatory System---05

Chambers Of the Heart

heart has a right side and a left side, separated by a thick wall. Each side has two chambers:
an upper chamber called an (plural, atria) and a lower chamber, or The atria receive blood
entering the heart. Blood flows from the atria to the ventricles, which pump blood out of the
heart. Between each atrium and ventricle, and between each ventricle and large blood vessel,
is a flap of tissue called a valve. The valves allow blood to flow in only one direction.

Valves of the Heart

The heart has four valves inside it. Th ese valves ensure that blood fl ows in the correct
direction. Th e atria and ventricles are separated from each other by two valves called
atrioventricular valves. Th e atrioventricular valve on the right side is called the tricuspid
valve because it is made up of three flaps. Th e atrioventricular valve on the left side is calle
the bicuspid valve (or mitral valve) because it has only two fl aps. Th e other two valves are
called semilunar valves because of their half-moon shape.

Your heart can keep beating even

if it is separated from the body
because it has its own electrical
impulse.
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Circulatory System---06

DOUBLE CIRCULATION

The blood pumped by the right ventricle enters thepulmonary artery, whereas the left
ventricle pumps blood into the aorta. The deoxygenated blood pumped into the pulmonary
artery is passed on to the lungs from where the oxygenated blood is carried by the
pulmonary veins into the left atrium. This pathway constitutes the pulmonary circulation.
The oxygenated blood entering the aorta is carried by a network of arteries, arterioles and
capillaries to the tissues from where the deoxygenated blood is collected by a system of
venules, veins and vena cava and emptied into the right atrium. This is the systemic
circulation (Figure 18.4). The systemic circulation provides nutrients, O2 and other essential
substances to the tissues and takes CO2 and other harmful substances away for elimination. A
unique vascular connection exists between the digestive tract and liver called hepatic portal
system. The hepatic portal vein carries blood from intestine to the liver before it is delivered to
the systemic circulation. A special coronary system of blood vessels is present in our body
exclusively for the circulation of blood to and from the cardiac musculature.

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Circulatory System---07

Blood vessels
Arteries

Blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart are called Most arteries carry oxygen-rich
blood. The exceptions are the arteries that carry oxygen-poor blood from the heart to the
lungs. The largest artery in the body is the aorta . Blood leaves the left ventricle through the
aorta, which branches into many smaller arteries that carry blood to your organs,muscles, and
bones. arteries have thick walls that are both strong and flexible.When your ventricles
contract, blood surges through your arteries, causing their elastic walls to expand and then
relax. The pulse you feel in your wrist occurs when an artery expands.

Capillaries

Branching from the smallest arteries are the smallest blood vessels in your body. As blood
flows through the capillaries,oxygen and dissolved nutrients diffuse through the capillary wall
and into your bodys cells. At the same time, wastes from body cells, such as carbon dioxide,
diffuse into the blood. Capillaries also are involved in temperature regulation.When you are cold,
the capillaries near the surface of your skin narrow and keep heat in your body.When you are
warm, they expand and allow excess heat to escape your body.

Veins

From the capillaries, blood flows into small blood vessels that join together to form veins. are
large, thin-walled blood vessels that carry blood to the heart. By the time blood reaches veins,
the pumping force of the heart has little effect. Skeletal muscle contractions help to squeeze
blood back toward the heart.Valves inside the veins prevent blood from flowing backward.

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Circulatory System---08

REGULATION OF CARDIAC ACTIVITY

Normal activities of the heart are regulated intrinsically, i.e., auto regulated by specialised
muscles (nodal tissue), hence the heart is called myogenic. A special neural centre in the
medulla oblangata can moderate the cardiac function through autonomic nervous system
(ANS). Neural signals through the sympathetic nerves (part of ANS) can increase the rate of
heart beat, the strength of ventricular contraction and thereby the cardiac output.
On the other hand, parasympathetic neural signals (another component of ANS) decrease the
rate of heart beat, speed of conduction of action potential and thereby the cardiac output.
Adrenal medullary hormones can also increase the cardiac output.

DISORDERS OF CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD):

Coronary Artery Disease, often referred to as atherosclerosis, affects the vessels that supply
blood to the heart muscle. It is caused by deposits of calcium, fat, cholesterol and fibrous
tissues, which makes the lumen of arteries narrower.

Angina:
It is also called angina pectoris. A symptom of acute chest pain appears when no enough
oxygen is reaching the heart muscle. Angina can occur in men and women of any age but it is
more common among the middle-aged and elderly. It occurs due to conditions that affect the
blood flow.

Heart Failure:
Heart failure means the state of heart when it is not pumping blood effectively enough to meet
the needs of the body. It is sometimes called congestive heart failure because congestion of the
lungs is one of the main symptoms of this disease. Heart failure is not the same as cardiac
arrest (when the heart stops beating) or a heart attack (when the heart muscle is suddenly
damaged by an inadequate blood supply).

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Circulatory System---09

Your left lung is smaller than your right

lung to make room for your heart.

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