Structure of the Respiratory

System
Objectives:
 How the structure of the lungs serves its function
The respiratory system
 Components of the respiratory system:
1. The airways and connective tissue of the lungs
2. The pleural cavity
3. Chest wall
4. Respiratory muscles: muscles that change the
volume of the thoracic cavity
5. Respiratory centers in the brain stem and peripheral
nerves
6. Pulmonary blood flow
 Respiratory physiology
 Normal respiration depends on the following processes:
1. Ventilation
 Mechanics of ventilation
 Lung volumes and capacities
2. Lung Perfusion
3. Gas diffusion/Gas Exchange
4. Gas transport
5. Control of breathing
The Airways
The airways
Structures of the respiratory system
Respiratory tract/system:
From the nasal cavity to the alveoli (alveolus )
 Nasal cavity
 Pharynx
 Larynx= The glottis and vocal cords
 Trachea
 Bronchus / Bronchi
 Bronchioles
 Alveolar ducts
 Alveoli
Structures of the respiratory system
Respiratory tract/system:
Upper airways:

 Nasal cavity
 Pharynx Upper airway
 Larynx
The glottis and vocal cords
Function of the upper airways:
1. Conduction of air to and from lower airways
2. To condition the inspired air:
1- to be at body temperature
2- to be fully humidified
3. filter air from particles (> 5 micrometer in size)
4. Other functions not related to breathing
(ex: smell, vocalization)
The lower airways

The lower airways

contains all the airways
beginning with the
trachea ending in the
alveoli
Structures of the respiratory system
Lower airways:
 Trachea
 Bronchi (Bronchus)
 Bronchioles (no cartilage) Lower airways
 Alveolar ducts
 Alveoli
 Alveoli
 Dilated ends of the respiratory tract
 Where gas exchange with the blood takes place
Respiratory
zone
 The Terminal bronchioles:
The last bronchioles with no alveoli on their walls
 The Respiratory bronchioles:
The first bronchioles with alveoli on their walls
Classification of the Lower airways
According to the presence or absence of alveoli
on the wall of the airways,
the lower airways are divided into:
1. Conducting zone
2. Respiratory zone
 The conducting zone
 The airways from the Trachea to the terminal
bronchioles
The Respiratory zone

 include all the airways that contains

alveoli starting from the Respiratory
bronchioles
The conducting
zone
 Trachea
 bronchi (bronchus)
 Bronchioles up to the
Terminal bronchioles

Alveolar
airways
 An acinus (5 mm long)

Respiratory zone
 The Respiratory zone
includes the:
1. Respiratory
bronchioles
2. Alveolar ducts
3. Alveolar sacs and
Alveoli
 Anatomical dead space
 Areas of the airways with no alveoli

 The upper airways and the Conducting zone

(from the nose to the terminal bronchioles )
 Do not participate in gas exchange with blood
 their function is to conduct air to the respiratory
zone
Anatomical dead space

= The upper airways + the conducting zone =

= 150 ml in an adult
 Structure of the airways
Nose – Bronchi Small bronchioles Alveoli

cartilage
 The airways
1- Ciliated columnar epithelium :
 Up to the level of respiratory bronchioles
 Movement of the cilia propels the mucous and the
foreign particles trapped in it, toward the pharynx to be
swallowed
 The airways
2- Mucus production:
 Submucosal mucous glands (not present in bronchioles)
 Goblet cells
 Clara cells
3- Cartilage:
 Provide support to larger airways
 Absent from bronchioles
4- Smooth muscles:
 The airway contains smooth muscles which can
dilate and constrict in response to stimuli
The bronchioles do not contain cartilage or
mucous secreting glands
their walls contain more smooth muscles.
The cells of the alveoli
 An adult has 300 million alveoli
 Lined by two important types of
epithelial cell
The cells of the alveoli

1-Type I:
 Flat cells
 Covers most of the
surface area of the
alveolus
 Function :
Gas exchange
The cells of the alveoli
2- Type II:
 Synthesise
pulmonary
surfactant
 Regenerate Type I
cells
The cells of the alveoli

3- Pulmonary alveolar macrophages

 Alveolar surface tension
 Surface tension is
the strong
attraction between
water molecules at
the surface of the
liquid that pulls
water molecules
closer together
 Alveolar Surface tension
 Surface tension will collapse the small
alveoli
 Surfactant from
type II cells decreased
the surface tension
The structure of the respiratory
membrane
 The alveoli are surrounded by and in direct
contact with the alveolar capillaries
The structure of the respiratory membrane
 The respiratory membrane is made of:
1. Alveolar Epithelium
2. basement membranes
3. Capillary endothelium
The structure of the respiratory membrane
The structure of the respiratory membrane
 The respiratory membrane:
 average 0.5 micrometer in thickness
 and 70 m2 Surface area
 CO2 and O2 can diffuse easily across the
respiratory membrane
The pleural Cavity /intra pleural space
 The lungs are located
in the thoracic cavity

 Each lung is separated

from the chest wall by
a space called the
pleural cavity
The pleural Cavity /intra pleural space

 The pleural cavity is

made of two layers of
serous membrane
 The two layers are
continuous , inclosing
(surrounding )a space
1. Visceral pleura covers the lungs
2. Parietal pleura lines the chest wall,
the upper part of the diaphragm and
the mediastinum
 They are a continuation of the same
membrane
The intrapleural space/pleural cavity
Balloon filled with fluid
The intrapleural space/pleural cavity
 The space between these two membranes
is the:
intra pleural space = pleural cavity
 The intrapleural space contains:
 a tiny amount of fluid
(15-20 ml)
 No air
The function of the fluid in the
pleural cavity:
1. Lubricate movement of
the lungs inside the
chest during breathing
2. Resist the separation of
the two pleural surfaces
(act like a glue)
 Blood supply of the lungs

The lung receives blood from the two

circulations:
1. The pulmonary circulation
2. The bronchial circulation
 Blood supply of the lungs
1-Pulmonary circulation:
 Blood supply to the respiratory zone
 It brings deoxygenated blood from the right
ventricle to the respiratory zone for gas
exchange
 It drains to
the left atrium
 Blood supply of the lungs
1-Pulmonary circulation:
 Low pressure system
 pulmonary artery pressure = 25 /9 mmHg
 Pressure in the capillaries = 12 mmHg
 The low pressure decreases the filtration of fluid
at the capillaries
 (remember the Oncotic pressure = 25 mmHg)
 Blood supply of the lungs
2-Bronchial circulation:
 The blood supply to the conducting zone
 Bronchial arteries arises from the aorta
(systemic circulation)and carries oxygenated
blood to the airways and pleura
 It drains to the both the right atrium (1/3)
and left atrium (2/3) (physiological
shunt)
 Lymphatic system
 The lungs have a very active lymphatic flow
 Decreasing the interstitial fluid volume is very
important for effective gas exchange:
 connective tissue of the lung
 Fibroblasts in the lung interstitium synthesise
collagen and elastin
 Elastin is the major contributor to elastic
recoil of the lung
Tendency of the lung to go back to its original
shape if it was stretched
Innervations
 The lungs are innervated by the autonomic
nervous system
 Parasympathetic (X cranial nerve)
Acetylcholine induces:
1. Airway constriction
2. increased glandular secretion
3. vasodilation
Parasympathetic maintain bronchial tone in the
resting lung
Innervations
 Sympathetic: norepinephrine
1. Airway relaxation (bronchodilator )(Beta 2
receptors)
2. increase water secretion (Beta 2 receptors)
3. vasoconstriction (alpha 1)
4. inhibition of glandular mucous secretion (alpha 1)
 Respiratory Muscles
 The lungs are present inside the thoracic
cavity (rips and the thoracic vertebrae)
 There are many muscles that change the size
of the thoracic cavity in order to achieve
breathing
Inspiratory muscles
 Inspiratory muscles
 During Quite breathing:

1- The diaphragm
2- External intercostal
muscles
 Inspiratory muscles
 During Quite breathing:

1- The diaphragm :
increases the vertical
diameter
 Inspiratory muscles
 During Quite breathing:

2- External intercostal
muscles :
They pull the rip cage
upward and forward
They increases the
antero- posterior
diameter
 Inspiratory muscles
 During Quite breathing:
The diaphragm is the most important
inspiratory muscle (75% of the volume
changes during rest)
 Its supplied by the phrenic
nerve (C3-5)
 Accessory muscles of inspiration:
1. Scalene muscles :elevates the first two rips
2. Sternocleidomastoid muscles: Elevates the
sternum
+
3. Alae nasi :
flaring of the nostrils
Quite expiration
 It is a passive process:
No muscle contraction is
required to decrease the
size of the thoracic cavity
Quite expiration
 The diaphragm and external intercostal
muscles relax
 The elastic lung recoils inward
 The chest is pulled inward
 Muscles of expiration

 Expiration becomes active during exercise

and voluntary hyperventilation
Muscles of expiration

1) Anterior
abdominal
wall muscles
2) Internal
intercostal
muscles
Muscles of expiration
 Muscles of expiration:
1) Anterior abdominal wall muscles:
rectus abdominus
 internal and external
oblique muscles
Transvsrsus abdominus
2) Internal intercostal muscles
Deep inspiration and expiration
 Deep breathing uses forceful contraction of the
Inspiratory muscles and additional accessory
muscles to produce larger change in volume of the
thoracic cavity during both
Inspiration and expiration