Connective Tissue Flashcards
What are the three fibers in connective tissue?
collagen, reticulin, elastin
Which fiber is the most abundant and the strongest?
collagen
Which fiber gives the ability to stretch and compress?
elastin
Which fiber is small, delicate and branchlike to give shape
reticulin
What are the three types of connective tissue proper?
LOCT, DRCT, DICT
What is another name for loose ordinary connective tissue?
areolar connective tissue
What is the purpose of LOCT?
fill spaces, cushion, feed nutrients to epithelium
What are some facts of adipose tissue?
fat within adipocytes; expand or shrink (no division); vascular
What is the purpose of reticular connective tissue?
its delicate framework wraps around organs for support
How vascular is dense connective tissue?
poorly vascularized
What is the structure of DCT?
few cells with A LOT of collagen fibers and very little ground substance
Where can we find DRCT?
tendons and ligaments
Where can we find DICT?
lower layer of dermis, capsules of organs, joint capsules (to resist tension)
What are the two types of supportive connective tissue?
cartilage and bone
What are the three types of cartilage?
hyaline, fibrocartilage, elastic
Which type of cartilage is the strongest and doesn’t have a perichondrium?
fibrocartilage (spinal cord and knee)
Which type of cartilage is the most abundant but the weakest?
hyaline (nose and ribs)
Which type of cartilage is highly flexible and resilient?
elastic (external ear and epiglottis)
What are the two types of bone?
compact (shafts of long bone) and spongy/cancellous (epiphysis)
What are the three types of bone cells?
osteoblasts, osteocytes, osteoclasts
Why are bones so hard?
lots of collagen and it’s ECM becomes calcified
What do the collagen fibrils form?
lamellae
What links the lacunae together so that there is passage of nutrients?
canaliculi
What are the functions of connective tissue?
support, protection, insulation, transportation
