Human vasculature plays a vital role in maintaining tissue perfusion with oxygen and nutrient delivery. It consists of three main types of blood vessels that work together to ensure the proper circulation of blood throughout the body: arteries, veins, and capillaries. Each vessel type has distinctive structural and functional characteristics. The vascular system develops at around the third week of human development, shortly after the establishment of the mesoderm layer. Angioblasts arising from the mesodermal layer first aggregate forming small clusters (blood islands) within the extraembryonic mesoderm. Angioblasts in the blood islands then differentiate into endothelial cells which organize and form primitive vascular structures known as vascular cords which form the scaffold for the future blood vessels. Angiogenesis then establishes a more complex and extensive vascular network with certain signalling cues determining the identity of arteries and veins within the developing vasculature. In parallel, the lymphatic system also develops, with lymphatic vessels, which contribute to tissue fluid drainage and immune function, arising from specialized lymphatic endothelial cell progenitors. Arteries are the thick-walled, muscular vessels carrying oxygenated blood away from the heart. The thick smooth muscle in their walls allow them to withstand the high pressure generated by the heart's contractions. Their walls also contain elastic fibres, helping them maintain a continuous blood flow by storing energy during systole (contraction) and releasing it during diastole (relaxation) of the heart. Arteries branch into smaller arterioles, which further regulate blood flow and control blood pressure. Veins carry deoxygenated blood from the body's tissues back to the heart. Veins have thinner walls compared to arteries, as the blood pressure in veins is lower. Veins also have valves that prevent the backflow of blood, ensuring that blood flows only toward the heart. Veins are also generally more stretchable than arteries with a thinner smooth muscle layer in their walls, making them more flexible and stretchable and able to accommodate larger volumes of blood. Capillaries are the smallest and thinnest blood vessels in the body, forming an extensive network allowing exchange of nutrients, oxygen, and waste products between the blood and surrounding tissues. Their thin walls consist of a single layer of endothelial cells, facilitating the rapid exchange of gases and other molecules. Capillaries connect arterioles to venules (small veins), forming a bridge between the arterial and venous sides of the circulatory system, with exchange across capillary walls occurring through diffusion, filtration, and osmosis. Vasculature involves various components and signalling molecules that regulate vessel development and function. Endothelial cells form the inner lining of blood vessels and play a pivotal role in maintaining vascular health. They produce nitric oxide (NO) a vasodilator and endothelin-1 (ET-1), a potent vasoconstrictor, and prostacyclin (PGI2), a vasodilator, that regulates their constriction or dilation and blood flow. VEGF and FGF are key angiogenesis factors for endothelial cells in generating new vasculature. They stimulate new blood vessels to form during development, in adult wound healing, and in pathological conditions such as tumour growth and Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). We offer a large product range of research tools for investigating vasculature, including alpha smooth muscle Actin antibodies, ACVRL1 antibodies, Adrenomedullin antibodies, and Adrenomedullin ELISA Kits. Explore our full vasculature product range below and discover more, for less. Alternatively, you can explore our Endothelium and Smooth Muscle Cell product ranges.