CONNECTIVE TISSUE

Connective Tissue
Supportive tissue
Functions:
1. Connect and bind tissues
2. Protect body organs
3. Framework for movement of muscles
4. Transport substances

Connective Tissue

Loose Connective Tissue

Dense Connective Tissue
Cartilages
Bone
Blood

Parts of Connective Tissue:

1. Cells
- scattered, fewer in number
2. matrix
- More matrix than cells
- Varies in consistency
a. liquid (watery)
b. rubbery/gelatinous
c. tough/mineralized

3. Intercellular fibers

elastic
reticular
collagen

LOOSE CONNECTIVE
TISSUE

1. Areolar Connective Tissue

Description:
Most abundant tissue type
Semi-fluid with ground substance
Elastic, collagenous, reticular fibers running though the matrix
With empty spaces in the matrix
Function:
- binds organs together

Areolar Connective Tissue

Collagen fiber
Nucleus of the
fibroblast
Mast cell
Elastic fiber

2. Adipose Tissue

Description:
consists of adipocytes (cells that store fats)
nucleus and cytoplasm peripherally located (signet ring appearance)
Adipose lobules
Location:
subcutaneous layer of the skin, padding around joints
Function:
Provides an insulating layer beneath the skin
Padding/cushion for organs

* Loose Connective Tissue Adipose 400X

nucleus
cell membrane

* Reticular Connective Tissue 1000X

reticular fibers

spleen

3. Reticular Tissue

Description:
Made up of network of reticular fibers and reticular cells
Location:
stroma (supporting framework) of liver, spleen, lymph nodes and bone marrow
Function:
support of organ
filters and removes worn-out blood cells in the spleen and microbes in lymph
nodes

4. Mucous Connective Tissue

Description:
consists of large fibroblast, matrix is soft , homogenous and jelly
like
Fine collagen fibers
Elastic fibers
Location:
Umbilical cord of fetus
Function:
cushion around the vessels of the umbilical cord

DENSE CONNECTIVE
TISSUE

Dense Connective Tissue

- fibers are compactly arranged
- classified based on arrangement of fibers

a. Dense Regular Connective Tissue

Description:
Consist mainly of collagen fibers arranged in organized manner
Fibroblasts squeezed in between collagenous fibers
Location:
tendons, ligaments

Dense Regular Connective Tissue 400X

fibroblast cell nuclei

tendon with densely packed parallel collagen fibers

2. Dense Irregular Connective Tissue

Description:
collagen fibers arranged in irregular manner with few fibroblasts
Location:
perichondrium of cartilage, periosteum of bones, dermis of skin

Dense Irregular Connective Tissue 400X

non-parallel
collagen fibers

dermis of skin (see slide 12)

CARTILAGES

1.Hyaline Cartilage

Description:
Glassy/clear cartilage
fine collagen fibers
Chondrocytes appear singly or in isogenous group of cells cell nest
Surrounded with perichondrium
Weakest type of cartilage
Location:
trachea, larynx, bronchi, anterior ends of ribs, ends of bones

- Cartilage cells are named based on their function:

_____blasts cells responsible for forming
the matrix
_____cytes cells responsible for maintaining the matrix
- mature cartilage cells
______clasts cells responsible for remodeling or resorption of
matrix

Lacuna

chondrocyte

Perichondrium

Hyaline Cartilage 400X

1 to 4 chondrocytes in lacuna

2. Fibrocartilage

Description:
few and smaller chondrocytes scattered along small amount of
matrix
bundles of collagenous fibers within the matrix
no perichondrium
Strongest type of cartilage
Location:
pubic symphysis, intervertebral disc

Fibrocartilage 400X
chondrocyte in lacuna

collagen fibers

3
1

3. Elastic cartilage

Description:
consists of chondrocytes located in a threadlike network
of elastic fibers within the matrix
Surrounded with perichondrium
Location:
auricle of the external ear, epiglottis, auditory
(Eustachian) tube

Elastic cartilage
Chondrocyte

Lacuna
Elastic
fibers

BONE/OSSEOUS TISSUE

2 Types of Bone Tissue:

1. Compact bone (external)
- solid
2. Spongy (cancellous)bone
internal

Osteon or Haversian System:

basic unit of compact bone

Parts of Osteon:

Lamellae concentric rings of

matrix that consists of
mineral salts (give hardness
to the bones
fibers
2. Lacunae
small spaces between
lamellae that contain the
mature bone cells
3. Canaliculi
network of minute canals
containing the processes of
osteocytes
4. central (Haversian) canal
contains blood vessels and
nerves

* Supportive Connective Tissue Bone 400X

osteocyte in lacuna

central canal
of osteon

canaliculi

Types of bone cells:

1. Osteoblasts
bone building cells
synthesize and secrete collagen needed to build the
matrix
2. Osteocytes
mature bone cells
matrix
3. Osteoclasts
endosteum
bone resorption/ bone restoration

BLOOD/ VASCULAR TISSUE

Vascular Tissue
composed of:
1. Matrix
plasma (fluid)
2.Cells
wbc, rbc and platelets
3. Intercellular fibers
found in the plasma

Types of Cells
1. Red blood cell
erythrocytes
hemoglobin
in mammals during
maturatio rbc lose their
nuclei
lower vertebrates
nucleus is retained

2. White blood cell

leukocytes
nucleated
body defense
distinguished based on the staining
reactions and cytoplasmic granules

Types of wbc according to the number of

nucleus and cytoplasmic granules:
1. Granulocytes
A. Neutrophil
most numerous
3 to 5 lobes
polymorphonuclear wbc
(multinucleated)

B. Eosinophil
2 lobes
orange- red granules

C. Basophil

S shaped nucleus
dark purple to black
granules

2. Agranulocytes
A. Lymphocytes
produce antibodies
large nucleus that
almost occupy the entire
cell

b.monocyte/mononuclear
wbc
- bean shaped nucleus

3. Platelets
thrombocytes
small, non-nucleated,
colorless, non-motile
cells
participate in blood
clotting

MUSCULAR TISSUE

Properties of Muscular Tissue:

1.
2.
3.
4.

Excitability ability to respond to stimuli

Contractility ability to shorten forcefully
Extensibility ability to stretch
Elasticity ability to resume resting length
after contraction

Skeletal Muscle Tissue

Striated, voluntary
Cylindrical, multinucleated
attached to the skeleton
Function: generates physical force needed to make the
body structures move

* Skeletal Muscle 1000X

striations across
muscle fiber

nucleus
long parallel fibers

Smooth Muscle Tissue

Non-striated (smooth), involuntary
Cells are long and tapered (spindle/fusiform)
Centrally located nucleus
Function: constriction of b.vessels and airways,
propulsion of food, contraction of urinary bladder

Smooth Muscle 400X

intestinal wall

* Smooth Muscle (teased) 400X

nucleus

spindle shape cell

Cardiac Muscle Tissue

Striated, involuntary
Intercalated disc
Branched cells, mononucleated or binucleated
Function: pumps blood to all parts of the body

* Cardiac Muscle 1000X

striations

nucleus

intercalated disc

short branching cells; intercalated discs at cell junctions