3. Body Tissue Flashcards
What do you know about the connective tissue? Why is it called “connective”? How is it categorized? Which are the main types?
Connective tissue is tissue that provides support, connection and separation between different types of tissues and organs in the body. It’s main features are variations in blood supply and extracellular matrix. variations in blood supply:many connective tissue have a good blood supply but there are others that are not well vascularized: ligaments and tendons do not have a good blood supply while cartilages are avascular, that is why their recovery is very slow when they have been injured.
Extracellular matrix: connective tissues are made of different type of cells and extracellular material (matrix). The extracellular matrix is produced by the cells that live within it. It is the extracellular matrix that makes connective tissue so different from other tissues. The Matrix of connective tissue consists of a structureless ground substances and fibers.
The structureless ground substance consists of water, adhesion proteins and charged polysaccharide molecules.
Thanks to the adhesion proteins, the connective tissue cells are attached to the Matrix fibers. The function of the charged polysaccharide molecules is to trap water. Due to the abundance of polysaccharide molecules the consistency of the Matrix varies from fluid to gel-like.
Fibers verite according to the connective tissue type. There are many kinds of fibers: white fibers (collagen) yellow fibers (elastic) and reticular fibers.
They are called connective because they support and connect different tissues and organs of the body. Moreover they transport different nutritients, waste materials, gases, hormones Etc and in this way establishes a network for all the cells of the body and connects to them.
There are different types of connective tissue. connective tissue is categorized on the basis of: the number of specific cell types, fiber types, and the number of fibers in The Matrix.
The main types of connective tissue are: bones, cartilages, dense connective tissue, loose connective tissue, and blood.
bones are composed of osteocytes (bone cells) surrounded by very hard Matrix that contains Calcium, salts and collagen fibers. Cartilages not as hard as bones, but they are more flexible. the main cell types are cartilage cells.
Dense connective tissue has collagen fibers as its main Matrix element. Between the collagen fibers there are rows of fibroblasts (cells responsible for making fibers) .
Loose connective tissue is softer than any other connective tissue except blood. in addition it has more cells and fewer fibers. position.
Vascular tissue or blood is considered as a connective tissue because the blood cells are surrounded by a fluid Matrix called blood plasma blood fibers can be seen only during blood clotting usually they are soluble protein molecules.
