Connective Tissue Flashcards
What are the four types of connective tissues found in the human body?
- Connective tissue proper
- Cartilage
- Bone
- Blood
What are the two connective tissue proper?
- Loose Connective Tissue
- Dense Connective Tissue
What are loose connective tissues?
a. Areolar
b. Adipose
c. Reticular
What are the dense connective tissues?
a. Dense regular
b. Dense irregular
c. Elastic
What are the cartilages?
- Hyaline
- Elastic
- Fibrocartilage
Many cell types in connective tissue can also change and become more specialized in structure and function during developmental phases – a term referred to as ______________.
differentiation
There is one type of connective tissue that is avascular (has no blood supply, like epithelial tissue) and that is __________.
cartilage
What are the classification of connective tissues?
- Fluid connective tissues
- Connective tissue proper
- Supporting connective tissue
These are the fluid connective tissues
blood and lymph
These are the connective tissue proper
loose and dense
These are the supporting connective tissue
bone and cartilage
What are the three kinds of fibers that are made within connective tissue?
- Collagen
- Reticular
- Elastic
thick, strong and unbranched. White in body, stains pink and blue in histology.
Collagen
very thin (collagen), fine, branching (‘network’) and flexible.
Reticular
made of elastin, recoils after stretching. Yellow in body, stains dark in histology.
Elastic
The most common components of connective tissue ground substance
- hyaluronic acid
- mucopolysaccharides
- glycosaminoglycans
It is the substance that is responsible for the ‘rubbery’ quality of cartilage.
Chondroitin
Loose connective tissue that contains both collagen, elastic and reticular fibers.
Areolar
Loose connective tissue (fat tissue) consist of large cells almost entirely filled with fat vacuole (filled with triglycerides) and with very little cellular material visible.
Adipose
Loose connective tissue that forms a supportive network around other cells in organs.
Reticular
Dense connective tissue has collagen fibers aligned and tightly bundled like fibers in thread or rope and is consequently very strong. Overall appearance may be wavy.
Dense Regular Tissue
Dense connective tissue is similar in substance to dense regular but has no particular orientation to the fibers which makes it strong in several directions.
Dense Irregular Tissue
Dense connective tissue that has additional elastic fibers and thus has elasticity in addition to strength.
Dense Elastic Tissue
Both bone and cartilage characteristically have ________ in which chondrocytes or osteocytes as the case may be, reside.
lacunae
It is the cartilage that has ‘glassy’ smooth matrix and may appear ‘texture-less’.
Hyaline
It is the cartilage that has dark, stringy elastic fibers within the matrix.
Elastic
It is the cartilage that has thick, wavy collagen fibers and fewer chondrocytes.
Fibrocartilage
Bone in which osteons looks like tree rings or targets.
Compact Bone
Bone that has trabeculae, which resembles scaffolding (with blood cells).
Spongy Bone
These are the four membranes
- Cutaneous
- Serous
- Mucous
- Synovial
This makes up skin, secretes sweat and oil. This is the only “dry” membrane.
Cutaneous
This membrane lines sealed cavities within body and produces thin, slippery, watery serous fluid.
Serous
This membrane lines open or exposed passageways and cavities and secretes thick, sticky mucus.
Mucous
This membrane lines joint cavities and produces viscous synovial fluid.
Synovial
These are the connective tissue framework of the body
- Superficial Fasciae
- Deep Fasciae
- Subserous Fasciae
This delicate connective tissue just deep to the true skin. It is also known as
hypodermis or subcutaneous. Consists mainly of areolar and adipose tissue.
Superficial Fasciae
(Connective Tissue Framework) layers of collagenous tissue surrounding and separating muscles.
Deep Fasciae
(Connective Tissue Framework) found under the epithelial lining of serous membranes.
Subserous Fasciae
Description: Gel-like matrix with all three fiber types; cells: fibroblasts, macrophages, mast cells, and some white blood cells.
Function: Wraps and cushions organs; its macrophages phagocytize bacteria; plays important role in inflammation; holds and conveys tissue fluid.
Location Widely distributed under epithelia of body, e.g., forms lamina propria of mucous membranes; packages organs; surrounds capillaries
Areolar
Description: Matrix as in areolar, but very sparse; closely packed adipocytes, or fat cells, have nucleus pushed to the side by large fat droplet.
Function: Provides reserve food fuel; insulates against heat loss; supports and protects organs
Location Under skin; around kidneys and eyeballs; within abdomen; in breasts
Adipose
Description: Network of reticular fibers in a typical loose ground substance; reticular cells lie on the network.
Function: Fibers form a soft internal skeleton (stroma) that supports other cell types including white blood cells, mast cells, and macrophages.
Location: Lymphoid organs (lymph nodes, bone marrow, and spleen)
Reticular
Description: Primarily parallel collagen fibers; a few elastin fibers; major cell type is the fibroblast.
Function: Attaches muscles to bones or to muscles; attaches bones to bones; withstands great tensile stress when pulling force is applied in one direction.
Location: Tendons, most ligaments, aponeuroses
Dense Regular Connective Tissue
Description: Primarily irregularly arranged collage fibers; some elastic fibers; major cell type is the fibroblast
Function: Able to withstand tension exerted in many directions; provides structural strength.
Location; Dermis of the skin; submucosa of digestive tract; fibrous capsules of organs and of joints.
Dense Irregular Connective Tissue
Description: Amorphous but firm matrix; collagen fibers form an imperceptible network; chondroblasts produce the matrix and when mature (chondrocytes) lie in lacunae
Function: Supports and reinforces; has resilient cushioning properties; resists compressive stress.
Location: Forms most of the embryonic skeleton; covers the ends of long bones in joint cavities; forms costal cartilages of the ribs; cartilages of the nose, trachea, and larynx
Hyaline Cartilage
These are the fiber-producing cells
fibroblasts
The hyaline cartilage will have a smooth, _________ (no form) matrix with cells suspended within
it.
amorphous
The matrix is compact fibers of collagen and the cells producing the matrix are called _____________.
chondrocytes
Chondrocytes are contained within tiny chambers called ___________ (“little lakes”).
lacunae
Description: Similar to hyaline cartilage, but more elastic fibers in matrix.
Function: Maintains the shape of a structure while allowing great flexibility.
Location: Supports the external ear (pinna); epiglottis
Elastic Cartilage
Fibrocartilage is found forming the intervertebral discs in the spinal column, the _________________, and in the discs of the knee
pubic symphysis
While its composition is similar to that of
hyaline cartilage, fibrocartilage is not as firm and possesses more noticeable _________________.
collagen fibers
Description: Matrix similar but less firm than that in hyaline cartilage; thick collagen fibers predominate.
Function: tensile strength with the ability to absorb compressive shock.
Location: Intervertebral discs; pubic symphysis; discs of knee joint
Fibrocartilage
Bone is arranged in concentric ring structures called ____________.
osteons
In the center of each osteon is a structure
called a ___________. This canal carries blood vessels through the bone to nourish the cells embedded within the tissue.
Haversian canal
Around the Haversian canal, rings of bone tissue from called _________.
lamellae
The cells inside the lacunae in bones are called
osteocytes
Radiating out from the lacunae are tiny channels that allow interaction of the cells with the blood supply. These tiny channels are called ___________.
canaliculi
Description: Hard, calcified matrix containing many collagen fibers; osteocytes lie in lacuna. Very well vascularized.
Function: Bone supports and protects (by enclosing); provides levers for the muscles to act on; stores calcium and other minerals and fat; marrow inside bones is the site for blood formation (hematopoiesis).
Location: Bones
Bone (Osseous Tissue)
Description: Red and white blood cells in a fluid matrix (plasma).
Function: Transport of respiratory gases, nutrients, wastes, and other substances.
Location: Contained within blood vessels.
Blood
