Which is the protective outer layer of arteries?

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Think of arteries as having three coats, with the outermost protective shell being a fibrous connective tissue layer. This outer layer, the tunica externa (also called the adventitia), acts as a protective border that anchors the vessel in surrounding tissues and supplies the outer wall with small vessels in larger arteries. The middle coat is the muscular wall (tunica media), which gives strength and helps regulate the lumen size, while the innermost coat is the thin lining that contacts the blood. Systemic circulation describes the route of blood flow, not a layer, and chyle is lymphatic fluid, not part of the artery’s structure. So the protective outer layer is the fibrous outer layer.