HSF 1 - Unit 3 Histology Flashcards
Skin
what is the largest organ of the body and what percent of the body mass does it make up?
skin; 15-20%
what are the 4 main functions of the skin and how does it do these things?
1) protection: from UV, mechanical, chemical, and thermal insult
2) sensation: largest sense organ of the body, contains receptors for touch, pressure, pain, and temperature
3) thermoregulation: insulation via hair and SQ fat; heat loss facilitated by sweat glands and dermal capillary network
4) metabolic functions: energy stored in SQ fat (1’ as TGs); vitamin D synthesized in the skin via uv. maintains homeostasis; excretory function (sweating); immune defense
what are the 3 layers of the skin?
epidermis, dermis, hypodermis (subcutis)
what kind of epithelium is found in the epidermis?
keratinized, stratified squamous epithelium
what are keratinocytes?
the cells of the epidermis
how thick is the epidermis?
1-5mm, dubbed thin and thick skin respectively
where is thick skin found?
volar (soles) and palmar (palms) surfaces; lacks hair
what kind of skin covers most of the body?
thin, which has a thin keratinized epidermis
what is the blood supply to the epidermis?
absent, blood vessels do not penetrate the basement membrane
how do nutrients get to the epidermis?
by blood vessels in underlying dermis
what is the structure of the dermis?
dense, irregular, collagenous CT (type I collagen), interspersed with elastic fibers
how does the skin age?
progressive damage to the elastic fibers of the dermis which results in loss of skin’s tone
what is the blood supply to the dermis?
highly vascular and also contains many sensory receptors
what are the layers of the dermis?
papillary (superficial)
reticular (deep)
what are the characteristics of the papillary layer of the dermis?
it is relatively thin and interdigitated through corrugations with the epidermis to increase surface area for attachment so we can prevent mechanical abrasions and shearing
what are dermal ridges?
also called dermal papillae, dermal projections into the epidermis
what are fingerprints?
large dermal ridges in thick skin; also called dermatoglyphs and are unique to each individual
what are epidermal ridges?
also called rete ridges, epidermal projections into the dermis
how does the reticular layer compare to the papillary layer?
thicker and less cells
what special things does the reticular layer have?
contains hair follicles, sweat and sebaceous glands
what is the reticular layer connected to?
the hypodermis (subcutis)
what are Langer’s lines?
thick collagen bundles and elastin fibers in the reticular layer form tension lines, skin incisions parallel to these lines will heal with less scarring
what is the structure of the hypodermis?
loose, irregular CT and adipose, which is the subcutis/superficial fascia/panniculus adiposus
what are the different vascular plexi of the skin?
superficial subpapillary plexus, deep cutaneous plexus, and deeper subcutaneous plexus
where is the subpapillary plexus?
at the junction of the papillary and reticular layers
where is the cutaneous plexus?
at the junction of the reticular layer and hypodermis
where is the subcutaneous plexus?
deep within the hypodermis
which plexus is the largest?
the subcutaneous
what are the special features of the subcutaneous plexus?
used in thermoregulation in the fingertips and ears, and is associated with AV shunts containing glomus bodies so we can bypass capillary bed, re-route blood from arterial to venous circulation
what are glomus bodies?
thickened regions of smooth mm in the wall of arterioles, surrounded by connective tissue capsule
how does the growth and death/falling off of skin cells happen and how long does this process take?
takes around 25-50 days for the cells to travel from the deep germinal layer, mature, and be sloughed from the superficial epidermis
what is psoriasis?
keratinocyte maturation only takes about a week, so there is an absence of a granular layer and abnormal keratinohyaline and tonofibrils
what are the layers of the epidermis?
stratum basale stratum spinosum stratum granulosum stratum lucidum (thick only) stratum corneum
what are characteristics of the base layer of the epidermis?
it is a mitotic layer of cuboidal germinal cells that are bound to the basement membrane by hemidesmosomes, and they attach to the underlying dermis via anchoring filaments and microfibrils
what are characteristics of the stratum spinosum?
- cells are spiny (because of numerous cytoplasmic processes and lateral folding of cell membrane) and polyhedral with prominent intercellular bridges (desmosomes); thickest layer in thin skin
- produces cytokeratin, forms tonofilaments which aggregate into larger tonofibrils, and anchor onto desmosomes
what are characteristics of the stratum granulosum?
- it is the granular cell layer and characterized by cells containing basophilic, keratinohyaline granules
- keratinization of cells represents interaction between keratinohyaline granules and tonofibrils
what are keratinohyaline granules?
non-membrane bound electron dense granules
what are characteristics of the stratum lucidum?
only present in thick skin, homogenous, compact layer enucleate cells between stratum granulosum and stratum corneum
what happens when cells are keratinized?
there is a rupture of keratinohyaline granules that is initiated by release of lysosomal enzymes and a polymerization of their contents which forms a matrix for tonofibrils of cytokeratin
what is cytokeratin?
amorphous mass of mature keratin
what happens when lysosomal enzymes are released?
death of the cell
as keratinocytes mature, what happens?
they die and lose their nuclei