Histology of Connective Tissue Flashcards
1
Q
What is connective tissue?
A
- It supports, protects and provides structure to other tissues and organs in the body.
- Transports blood.
- Stores energy.
- Helps in defence.
2
Q
What are the functions of connective tissue?
A
- Their main function is for connecting and linking.
- They join anatomical structures together.
- They have ‘scaffolding’ which is known as extracellular matrix.
3
Q
What is the extracellular matrix composed of?
A
- Proteins.
- Carbohydrates.
- Proteins.
- Water.
4
Q
What is the extracellular matrix and what is its function?
A
- It surrounds and supports cells in tissues and organs.
- One of its functions is to attach to and to communicate with nearby cells.
5
Q
What is the ground substance and where is it located?
A
- Located in the extracellular matrix.
- Provides viscosity and plasticity to the tissues.
6
Q
What are the two types of cells found in connective tissue?
A
- Resident cells are permanently based inside the connective tissue and produce the matrix.
- Transient cells move through the connective tissue.
7
Q
What is the ultimate connective tissue cell?
A
Fibroblast
8
Q
What are the main functions of the fibroblast?
A
- They secrete collagen to maintain the integrity of the connective tissue.
- Secrete a wide range of fibres and ground substance.
- Important in wound healing.
9
Q
What are the three main types of fibres?
A
- Elastic fibres
- Collagen fibres
- Reticular fibres
10
Q
Which cell produce collagen?
A
Fibroblasts
11
Q
What is collagen?
A
- It is the most abundant protein in the body and it makes up 25% of protein in the body.
- Provides elasticity and structural support to the tissues.
12
Q
How many types of collagen is there?
A
- There are 28 different types of collagen.
- Not all types of collagen provide the same amount of elasticity.
13
Q
What are elastic fibres?
A
- They are formed in the fibroblasts.
- They consist of fibrillin microfilaments which surround an elastin core.
14
Q
What is the role of elastin fibres?
A
- They provide resilience and elasticity to tissues by allowing them to stretch and to recoil again.
15
Q
What is fibrillin?
A
- it is a glycoprotein.
- Associates its self with elastic fibres.
16
Q
What type of collagen is reticular fibres composed of?
A
- They are composed of Type III collagen.
17
Q
What are reticular fibres?
A
- They provide structural support and framework for cellular components in tissues.
- They form a delicate, mesh-like network in connective tissue.
- The mesh-like network can be seen in liver, spleen.
- They are thinner than collagen fibres by having a diameter of 2 micrometers.
18
Q
What is the meshwork structure called in reticular fibres?
A
- Reticulum
19
Q
What are the two types of connective tissue and what is it based on?
A
- The two types of tissues are loose and and dense.
- The type of tissue is based on the the proportion of cells, ground substance and fibres.
20
Q
What is dense connective tissue?
A
- High proportion of fibres and a small amount of ground substance.
21
Q
What is loose connective tissue?
A
- Low proportion of fibres and high proportion of ground substance.
22
Q
A
23
Q
What the three classifications of loose connective tissue?
A
- Areolar connective tissue
- Adipose connective tissue
- Reticular tissue
24
Q
What is areolar tissue?
A
- Most abundant type of tissue in the body.
- Type of loose connective tissue.
- Collagen is the dominant fibre that it is made up of.
- Substances can move easily from cell to cell.
25
What is adipose tissue?
- It is a loose tissue and it is made mostly of adipocytes (fat cells).
- Adipose is the body's main energy store.
- One function is that it can provide a layer of insulation to the body and can protect the body's organs.
26
What is reticular tissue?
- A type of loose tissue and has a similar appearance to areolar tissue.
- Made up of shirt, branched collagen fibres.
- Can be found in lymph nodes, thymus, tonsils, spleen.
27
What is the technique used to stain reticular cells?
Gomorri's technique.
Silver impregnation is used.
28
What are some characteristics of dense regular connective tissue?
- Extremely strong and stronger than irregular dense connective tissue.
- Fewer cells compared to loose connective tissue.
-Fibroblasts are predominating.
- Direction of fibre alignment is parallel to the direction of the force.
29
What are some characteristics of dense irregular connective tissue?
- Very strong but not as strong as regular connective tissue.
- Fibroblasts are the predominating cell.
- Contains collagen fibres which are densely packed and they form random meshwork.
30
What are the three types of connective tissue?
1. Bone
2. Cartilage
3. Blood
31
What are the three different types of cartilage?
1. Hyaline cartilage
2. Elastic cartilage
3. Fibrcartilage
32
What type of connective tissue is avascular and what does it mean?
Cartilage and it means it contains no blood vessels.
33
What cells make up cartilage?
-Chrondocytes and they produce type II collagen.
34
What is the function of cartilage?
- It protects joints and bones.
- Absorbs shock.
- Supports structures.
35
What is hyaline cartilage?
- It is colourless and transparent.
- Can be describes as being 'glassy'.
- Found in joints that protect bone to bone friction.
-Can be found in the nose and trachea.
36
What is elastic cartilage?
- Contains some cartilage but has an abundance of elastic fibres.
- The tissue can withstand repeated deformation and can return to its original shape.
- Can be found in the ear lobe.
37
What is the toughest type of cartilage?
-Fibrocartilage.
38
What is fibrocartilage?
- Contains densely packed collagen fibres.
- Can help to reduce compression stress that are on joints.
- Acts as a shock absorber at the intervertebral disk.
39
What is bone tissue called?
Osseous tissue
40
What does a bone contain?
- Bone tissue, blood vessels, nerves and marrow.
41
What are the two types of bone tissue?
1. Cortical- compact tissue.
2. Cancellous- spongy bone
42
What is the epiphysis and the diaphysis?
- The epiphysis is the round end of the bone.
- The diaphysis is the long section between the epiphysis.
43
What connective tissue lines and covers the outside of bones?
- Periosteum
44
How is blood classed as a connective tissue?
- It connects different areas of the body chemically and physically via the circulation.
45
What are the three main types of muscle?
1. Smooth
2. Cardiac
3. Skeletal
46
Describe skeletal muscle and the proteins that are found in it.
- Voluntary muscle
- Made up of large cells with multiple nuclei.
- The sacroplasma contain the two proteins actin and myosin.
- The membrane is known as sarcolemma.
47
Describe smooth muscle.
- It is involuntarily muscle and it is controlled by the autonomic nervous system.
- Forms the inside of hollow organs.
48
Describe cardiac muscle.
- Found in the walls of the heart.
- Cells are known as cardiomyocytes.
- Contracts and relaxes to help to pump blood around the body.
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