| Capillary | |
|---|---|
 Diagram of a capillary | |
 A simplified illustration of a capillary network | |
| Details | |
| Pronunciation | US: /ˈkæpəlɛri/, UK: /kəˈpɪləri/ |
| System | Circulatory system |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | vas capillare[1] |
| MeSH | D002196 |
| TA98 | A12.0.00.025 |
| TA2 | 3901 |
| TH | H3.09.02.0.02001 |
| FMA | 63194 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
A capillary is a small blood vessel, from 5 to 10 micrometres in diameter, and is part of the microcirculation system. Capillaries are microvessels and the smallest blood vessels in the body. They are composed of only the tunica intima (the innermost layer of an artery or vein), consisting of a thin wall of simple squamous endothelial cells.[2] They are the site of the exchange of many substances from the surrounding interstitial fluid, and they convey blood from the smallest branches of the arteries (arterioles) to those of the veins (venules). Other substances which cross capillaries include water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, urea,[3] glucose, uric acid, lactic acid and creatinine. Lymph capillaries connect with larger lymph vessels to drain lymphatic fluid collected in microcirculation.
- ^ Federative International Committee on Anatomical Terminology (2008). Terminologia Histologica: International Terms for Human Cytology and Histology. Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 87. ISBN 9780781766104.
- ^ "Structure and Function of Blood Vessels | Anatomy and Physiology II". courses.lumenlearning.com. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ Maton, Anthea (1993). Human Biology and Health. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. pp. 87, 114, 120. ISBN 978-0-13-981176-0.