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What role does connective tissue play in the spaces around blood vessels?

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Collagenous fibers — connective tissue Randomly oriented collagenous fibers of varying size in a thin spread of loose areolar connective tissue (magnified about 370 ×).

Connective tissue plays a vital role in the spaces surrounding blood vessels, which are known as perivascular spaces. Because blood vessels course through connective tissue, this tissue is essential for the nourishment of organs and tissues throughout the body.1

All nutrient materials and waste products exchanged between the blood and the body's organs must pass through these perivascular spaces. Connective tissue cells actively maintain the conditions within these extracellular spaces to facilitate this critical exchange. Additionally, connective tissue provides structural support to blood vessels themselves; for example, the outermost layer of an artery, the tunica adventitia, is a tough layer composed primarily of collagen fibers that act as a supportive element.12