what layer of the blood vessel wall is composed of an endothelium and a subendothelial layer of areolar connective tissue?
The innermost layer of a blood vessel wall is the tunica intima (too'ni-ka in-ti'ma; intimus = inmost), or tunica interna. It is composed of an endothelium (a simple squamous epithelium lining the blood vessel lumen) and a subendothelial layer made up of a thin layer of areolar connective tissue. The tunica media (me'de-a; medius = middle) is the middle layer of the vessel wall. It is composed of circularly arranged layers of smooth muscle cells. Sympathetic innervation causes the smooth muscle to contract, resulting in vasoconstriction (va'so-kon-strik'shun), or narrowing of the blood vessel lumen.