Structural and Functional Properties of Venous Wall: Relationship between Elastin, Collagen, and Smooth Muscle Components and Viscoelastic Properties

Figure 4

Illustration of the histological analysis processing stages in an ovine cava vein. Bottom panel: characteristic colors of the histological preparations, from left to right: elastin, smooth muscle, collagen, and the original image, where the three integrated constituents can be visualized throughout the vascular wall. Note that several parallel thin muscular layers are observed close to the intima, while wide bundles of striated muscle are visualized in the media and external layers.