Quick Facts
The suprarenal arteries give rise to the subcapsular arterial plexus, which supplies the cortical and medullary tissue.
Related parts of the anatomy
Structure and/or Key Feature(s)
Despite their small size, the suprarenal glands are one of the most extensively vascularized organs. They have a well-established arterial supply via the superior, middle, and inferior suprarenal arteries, which emerge from the inferior phrenic artery, the abdominal aorta, and the renal artery, respectively.
The suprarenal arteries give rise to the subcapsular arterial plexus, which supplies the cortical and medullary tissue. In fact, three sets of arteries arise from the subcapsular plexus.
—One set directly supplies the fibrous capsule surrounding the suprarenal gland.
—The second set of arteries are the cortical sinusoids, which project into the zona glomerulosa and fasciculata and form a dense capillary network as they reach the zona reticularis before entering the medulla.
—The third set of arteries are the medullary arteries. These do not supply the zones of the cortex. Instead, they travel with the trabeculae, or the inward projections of the capsule, to supply blood to the medulla only (Inomata and Sasano, 2015).
Function
The subcapsular arterial plexus ensures adequate perfusion of blood to the fibrous tissue, cortex, and medulla of the suprarenal glands.
References
Inomata, A. & Sasano, H. (2015) Practical approaches for evaluating adrenal toxicity in nonclinical safety assessment. J Toxicol Pathol, 28(3), 125-32.
