The trachea is a short, flexible air tube that extends from the larynx into the thorax and divides into the two main bronchi. It has C-shaped cartilage rings that help keep the lumen open. The tracheal wall has four layers - mucosa containing ciliated epithelial cells, submucosa, cartilage layer, and adventitia. The ciliated cells help sweep mucus and particles out of the lungs. The trachea contains glands, blood vessels, nerves, and different cell types that help protect and maintain the airway.
The trachea is a short, flexible air tube that extends from the larynx into the thorax and divides into the two main bronchi. It has C-shaped cartilage rings that help keep the lumen open. The tracheal wall has four layers - mucosa containing ciliated epithelial cells, submucosa, cartilage layer, and adventitia. The ciliated cells help sweep mucus and particles out of the lungs. The trachea contains glands, blood vessels, nerves, and different cell types that help protect and maintain the airway.
The trachea is a short, flexible air tube that extends from the larynx into the thorax and divides into the two main bronchi. It has C-shaped cartilage rings that help keep the lumen open. The tracheal wall has four layers - mucosa containing ciliated epithelial cells, submucosa, cartilage layer, and adventitia. The ciliated cells help sweep mucus and particles out of the lungs. The trachea contains glands, blood vessels, nerves, and different cell types that help protect and maintain the airway.
The trachea is a short, flexible air tube that extends from the larynx into the thorax and divides into the two main bronchi. It has C-shaped cartilage rings that help keep the lumen open. The tracheal wall has four layers - mucosa containing ciliated epithelial cells, submucosa, cartilage layer, and adventitia. The ciliated cells help sweep mucus and particles out of the lungs. The trachea contains glands, blood vessels, nerves, and different cell types that help protect and maintain the airway.
Prof. Dr. Sabah N. Alwachi The Respiratory system (Part 1) The Respiratory system The Trachea is a short, flexible air tube about 2.5 cm in diameter & about 10 cm long.
It serves as a conduit for air.
It extends from the larynx to about the middle of the thorax,
Then it divides into the two main (primary) bronchi.
The lumen of the trachea stays open because of the arrangement of
the series of C- cartilaginous rings. The Respiratory system The wall of the trachea consists of four layers : 1- Mucosa, composed of a ciliated, pseudostratified epithelium and an elastic, fiber-rich lamina propria . 2- Submucosa,
composed of a slightly denser connective tissue than the lamina
propria. The Respiratory system
3- Cartilaginous layer, composed of C-
shaped hyaline cartilages . 4- Adventitia, composed of connective tissue that binds the trachea to adjacent structures . contains the largest blood vessels and nerves that supply the tracheal wall. The Respiratory system
The C-shaped hyaline cartilages are stacked one on
top of each other to form a supporting structure. The trachealis muscle is made of elastic fiber tissue and smooth muscle. They bridge the gap between the free ends of the C- shaped cartilages at the posterior border of the trachea adjacent to the esophagus . The Respiratory system The Respiratory system
The tracheal cartilages and trachealis muscle separate
submucosa from adventitia. The Respiratory system The tracheal epithelium consists of : - Ciliated columnar cells, - Mucous (goblet) cells, - Basal cells. Brush cells & small granule cells are also present, but in small numbers .
Ciliated cells : Cilia appear in histologic sections as short, hair-like profiles. Each cell has approximately 250 cilia. The cilia provide a coordinated sweeping motion of the mucous coat. The Respiratory system
In summary , the ciliated cells function as an important
protective mechanism for removing small inhaled particles from the lungs. Mucous cells are similar in appearance to intestinal goblet cells . Brush cells are columnar cells that bear microvilli.
Each brush cell is regarded as a receptor cell.
The Respiratory system Small granule cells are respiratory representatives of the general class of entero-endocrine cells of the gut and gut derivatives . These cells usually occur singly in the trachea and are slightly dispersed among the other cell types. Basal cells serve as a reserve cell population that maintains individual cell replacement in the epithelium . The Respiratory system
A thick “basement membrane” is
characteristic of tracheal epithelium.
Located beneath the tracheal epithelium.
The Respiratory system
The lamina propria
appears as a typical loose connective
tissue . It is very cellular, containing numerous lymphocytes, Plasma cells, mast cells, eosinophils, and fibroblasts. Trachea ( Transverse Section)
