Connective Tissue Flashcards
Functions of Connective Tissues
The functions are as varied as the types of CT
• Connects other tissues and organs together
- Ex. Ligaments, and tendons
• Forms skeleton
- Bone and cartilage
• Carries and stores nutrients
- Blood, bone, adipose
• Supports blood vessels and nerves
- Loose areolar CT
Structural Elements of Connective Tissues
• Extracellular matrix
- Composed of
• Ground substance
- Varies with the tissue - : Jelly-like: CT proper & cartilage, Fluid: Blood, Mineralized: Bone
• Protein fibers (next slide)
• EC matrix is considered the “nonliving” component of CT
• Connective tissue’s properties are largely due to its matrix
Characteristics of Connective Tissues (fibers)
Protein fibers
•Provide strength and flexibility
• Types:
- Collagen fibers
• Strongest
• Most abundant
- Elastic fibers
• Ability to stretch and recoil
- Reticular fibers
• Short
• Support network
What is the Structural Elements of all connective tissues?
• All originate from common embryonic tissue: mesenchyme
What are the cells of connective tissues?
For a given CT, the primary cell type
produces the EC matrix (except blood)
• Cells have descriptive word stems
• suffix
- “-blast” is producing the EC matrix
- “-cyte” is maintaining the EC matrix
- “-clast” is breaking down the EC matrix
• prefix
- “Fibro-” is primary cell type in CT proper
- “Chondro-” is primary cell type in cartilage
- “Osteo-” is the primary cell type in bone
- “Adipo-” is the primary cell type in adipose (fat)
Classes of Connective Tissues
• Connective tissue proper
- Loose CT
- Dense CT
•Cartilage
- Hyaline
- Fibrocartilage
- Elastic
• Bone
- Compact
- Spongy
• Blood
What are the loose connective tissue types?
Loose Connective Tissue
• Areolar
• Adipose
• Reticular
What are the features of Areolar Tissues?
• Most widespread of CTs
• Functions:
- Ground substance holds fluid
• Called interstitial fluid (tissue fluid)
- Serves as “packing material” around organs
- Involved in immunity and inflammation
Often the first line of defense against invading microorganisms
• Locations:
• Underlies most epithelia
• Surrounds nerves and blood vessels
What are the features of Areolar Tissues?
• Most widespread of CTs
• Functions:
- Ground substance holds fluid
• Called interstitial fluid (tissue fluid)
- Serves as “packing material” around organs
- Involved in immunity and inflammation
• Often the first line of defense against invading microorganisms
• Locations:
- Underlies most epithelia
- Surrounds nerves and blood vessels
What are the features of Adipose Tissues?
Adipose
• Little EC matrix
• MANY adipocytes filled with lipids
• Well vascularized
- Allows access to lipids for energy
• Functions
- Protection of organs
- Energy source
• Locations
- Hypodermis
- Visceral fat
- Around highly active organs (ex. Heart and kidneys)
• There are two types of adipose:
- White adipose
- Brown adipose
What are the features of Reticular Tissues?
Reticular
• Only contain reticular fibers
• Form a 3-dimensional network filled with cells
• Functions
- Forms soft internal skeleton (stroma)
• Locations
- Lymphoid organs (ex. Spleen, bone marrow, lymph nodes
What are the types of Dense Connective Tissues?
Dense Connective Tissues
1. Regular
2. Irregular
3. Elastic
What are the features of Dense Regular Connective Tissues?
Dense regular CT
• Collagen fibers run parallel to each other
• Function
- Provides strength in one direction
• Locations
- Tendons
- Ligaments
What are the Qualities of DenseIrregular Connective Tissue?
Dense Irregular CT
• Collagen fibers run in many different directions to each other
- Not parallel
• Function
- Able to resist strong tensions from different directions
• Locations
- Dermis
- Joint capsules
Overlying capsules of kidney and spleen
What are the Qualities of Dense Irregular Connective Tissue?
Dense Irregular CT
• Collagen fibers run in many different directions to each other
- Not parallel
• Function
- Able to resist strong tensions from different directions
• Locations
- Dermis
- Joint capsules
- Overlying capsules of kidney and spleen
