Terms - integumentary system Flashcards
Skin system
Integumentary system
composed of the skin, hair, nails, glands, and some nerve ending
What is the skins function
- Protection: skin acts as a physical barrier to bacteria, dehydration, chemicals, and more
- Environmental sensory input: skin gathers information about environment by sensing temperature, pressure and pain
- Excretion: water and salt can be excreted through the skin
- innate Immunity: specialized cells in the skin are part of the immune system (T cell and Langerhans cells)
- Vitamin D synthesis: UV radiation activates skin molecules that is a precursor to Vitamin D
- Thermoregulation: helps to regulate body temperature via capillaries and sweat glands
Thermoreguakltion
regulates the body temperature by using Sweat glands, Piloerection reflex (goosebumps), and blood vessels.
-Sweat glands: uses ATP, loses water
- Piloerection reflex: response to cold, stress, or emotion
- Blood vessels: dilating will cause body to lose heat (useful in hot temps). Constricting causing the body to preserve more heat in cold weathers. 10%
what are the layers of the skin
Epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis
Epidermis
- outer layer,
- (superficial avascular tissue
- 5 layers of epidermis: Stratum corneum, Stratum Lucidum, stratum granulosum, stratum spinsum, and stratym basale/germinativum
Stratym Corneum
- filled with keratin (dead cells)
- prevents from the skin from tearing easy
- barrier against water (hydrophobic)
Stratum lucidum
- only in plams of the hands and soles of feet
- dead cells
- thicker layer
Stratum granulosum
layer of dying cells
- cells are filled with keratin
Stratym spinous
- Provides strength and flexibility
- held together by adhesion protein (desmosomes)
Stratum Basale/germinativum
deepest layer and contains merkel cell, stem cells, and melanocytes
- forms new skin cells
what are the important cells found in epidermis
Keratinocytes, melanocytes, langerhans and Merkel cells
Keratinocytes
produce the protein keratin
- makes up the majority of epidermis
- as they are pushed to the surface to the skin they start to produce keratin and the cell starts to die off
melanocytes
- produce melanin
which is a pigment molecule and protects against UV light
langerhans
interact with helper T-Cells
- with T-cells it creates further immune defense
Merkel cells
attach to sensory neurons