Elastic arteries contain larger numbers of collagen and elastin filaments in their tunica media than muscular arteries do, giving them the ability to stretch in response to each pulse.
Elastic arteries include the largest arteries in the body, those closest to the heart, and give rise to the smaller muscular arteries. The pulmonary arteries, the aorta, and its branches together comprise the body’s system of elastic arteries. In these large arteries, the amount of elastic tissue is considerable and the smooth muscle fiber cells are arranged in 5 to 7 layers in both circular and longitudinal directions.