tinective tissue Flashcards
What does connective tissue entail.
- : fibers, ground substance and cells.
- ECM includes protein fibers and specialised molecules such as proteoglycan, glycoprotein
(macromolecules makes up ground substance of ECM) - • resident cells synthesise ECM (E.g fibroblast). Migratory cells (e.g. mast cells)
What does ground substance do
Gives resistance to compression
Where is connective tissue bound by
bounded by basal laminae of various epithelia and basal/external laminae of muscle cells.
What are the functions of fibres of connective tissue
Provide tensile strength, support and anchorage
What is ECM
Structural network surrounding and supporting cells of connective tissue.
4 types of connective tissue
- Loose connective tissue (areolar tissue):
- Dense connective tissue (dense regular or dense irregular connective tissue)
- Elastic tissue
- Adipose tissue (white or brown)
Characteristics of loose connective tissue
• Delicate, flexible, well vascularised, not resistant to stress
• Abundance of ground substance
• Cells: Consists of numerous fibroblasts and macrophages
• Fibres: collagen, elastic and reticular fibres
Has irregular/loose structure of collagen
Where is loose connective tissue found
- Lies beneath epithelia that cover body surface and line internal surfaces of body
- Fills space between: muscle cells, found in hypodermis of skin (found deeper than dense tissue, allow skin to move over underlying muscle), supports epithelial tissue, sheaths lymphatic+blood vessels,
Whats more common, loose or dense connective tissue
Loose
Describe dense connective tissue structurally
- less ground substance
- more limited number of cell types
- densely packed with collagen fibres
- less flexible, resistant to stress because of high proportion of collagen fibres
How do you differentiate between irregular and regular dense connective tissue
Based on arrangement of collagen fibres
Describe dense irregular connective tissue
- collagen fibres densely packed in bundles with no predominant orientation.
- Fibroblasts arranged in rows between collagen fibre bundles
- 3D network forms resistance to stress in all directions,
Where is dense irregular connective tissue found
dermis in skin, anchoring epithelium, capsules of organ where strong support required
Describe dense regular connective tissue
- Collagen fibres aligned (parallel bundles) with linear orientations of fibroblasts arranged in rows between bundles
- Provides great tensile strength/resistance against forces pulling in a straight line
Where is dense regular connective tissue found
• E.g. tendon, ligaments, aponeuroses
Describe structural property of tendon
Consist of parallel bundles of collagen fibres, help resist tensile strength.
- Proteoglycans allow them to resist compressive stress. (molecules can absorb lots of water and swell)
Describe structural property of fascia
collagen fibers oriented in a wavy pattern parallel to the direction of pull. Fascia is consequently flexible and able to resist great unidirectional tension forces until the wavy pattern of fibers has been straightened out by the pulling force
Describe structural property of ligament
Consist of parallel bundles of collagen fibres, help resist tensile strength. - Fibres less regularly arranged than those in tendons
Describe structural property of apopneuroses
Consist of parallel bundles of collagen fibres, help resist tensile strength.
bundles of collagen fibres in one layer arranged at right angle to those in neighbouring layer
Similarity between tendon and apopneuroses
Apopneuroses resemble tendon, they are fibrous tissue attaching sheet like muscle with wide area of attachment
How are tendon and apopneuroses functionally similar
Like tendons, aponeuroses can be stretched by the forces of muscular contraction, absorbing energy like a spring and returning it when they recoil to unloaded conditions.
What cells produce collagen fibres
Fibroblasts
What is fascia
• a band of connective tissue, primarily collagen, beneath the skin that and separates muscles and other internal organ
What sort of connective tissue are tendons, ligaments and apopneuroses
Dense regular connective tissue
What does H & E stain show
Nucleus: blue
Cytoplasm: red
Different types of connective tissue fibres in connective tissue
1) Collagen
2) elastic fibres
3) reticular fibres
Describe collagen fibres
- Thick, strong unbranched
Most common forms (type 1 and 2) form fibrils with great tensile strength
Structure of collagen fibres
- Fibrils formed from tropocollagen molecules (which consist of 3 peptide chains intertwined in right hand helix) assembled end to end and staggered. - Fibrils assemble to form collagen fibre.
Where are collagen fibres most abundant
Tendons, ligaments
Describe elastic fibres
- small, thin, branching
- . Lower tensile strength compared to collagen.
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