tunica

[Latin, tunic. See tunic.]

A membrane layer; a covering or tissue coat.

Pl. tunicae [L.] a covering or coat; a membranous covering of an organ or a distinct layer of the wall of a hollow structure, as a blood vessel. See also tunic.

• t. adventitia — the outer coat of various organs, blood vessels and other structures, usually made up of loose connective tissue.
• t. albuginea — a dense, white, fibrous sheath enclosing a part or organ, such as is present on the testis.
• t. albuginea ovarii — see tunica ovarii (below).
• t. conjunctiva — the conjunctiva.
• t. dartos — dartos.
• t. externa — an outer coat, especially the fibroelastic coat of a blood vessel.
• t. flava abdominis — an extensive sheet of elastic tissue that helps to support the abdomen. It is conspicuous in large animals as a yellow corset over the ventral abdomen and is a modified part of the deep fascia and aponeurosis of the external abdominal oblique muscle. It contributes to the deep fascia for the mammary gland or the scrotum.
• t. intima — the innermost coat of blood vessels; called also Bichat's tunic.
• t. media — the middle coat of blood vessels.
• t. mucosa — the mucous membrane lining of various tubular structures.
• t. muscularis — the muscular coat or layer surrounding the tela submucosa in most portions of the digestive, respiratory, urinary and genital tracts.
• t. ovarii — capsule of dense collagenous tissue, underlying the covering epithelium, covers each ovary. Called also tunica albuginea ovarii.
• t. propria — the proper coat or layer of a part, as distinguished from an investing membrane.
• t. serosa — the membrane lining the external walls of the body cavities and coating the surfaces of intruding organs; it secretes a watery exudate.
• t. vaginalis — the double-layered sleeve of peritoneum that lines the scrotum and inguinal canal (parietal layer) and invests the testis, epididymis and spermatic cord (visceral layer).
• t. vasculosa — a vascular coat, or a layer well supplied with blood vessels, e.g. of the eye.
• t. vasculosa lentis — vascular envelope of the lens in the developing fetus.

Tunica may refer to:

• The latin word for tunic, a type of clothing typical in the ancient word
• Tunica (language) spoken by the Tunica American Indians
• Tunica, a flowering plant genus now included in Petrorhagia
• Tunica, Louisiana
• Tunica, Mississippi
• Tunica Resorts, Mississippi (site of several casinos)
• Tunica County, Mississippi
• In anatomy, tunica refers to a structure comprising a blood vessel. Types include Tunica albuginea and Tunica vasculosa.

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