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Wk3 Structure & Function of Connective Tissue Flashcards

1
Q

What is a fibroblast?

A

Provides structural and metabolic support to other cells

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2
Q

Which fibres are needed?

A

Elastin, fibrous collagen

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3
Q

What does ground substance do?

A

Acts as a barrier

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4
Q

What are cells of connective tissue?

A
  • Fibroblast
  • Plasma cells (clock face) - antibodies
  • Apidocyte = nucleus on outer line, rest washed away (glittering appearance)
  • Macrophage
  • Mast cell
  • Lymphocyte
  • Neutrophil
  • Eosinophils (tomato with glasses)
  • Fibrocyte (inactive state of fibroblast when finished depositing ground substance and fibres
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5
Q

What are connective tissue fibres synthesised by?

A

Fibroblasts

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6
Q

What are the different types of collagen?

A
  1. Abundantly distributed in body
  2. Seen in cartilage
  3. Reticular
  4. Basement membrane
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7
Q

Summary of collagen fibres properties

A
  • Thick
  • Tough
  • Do not branch
  • Bundles
  • Tensile strength
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8
Q

Summary of reticular fibres (reticulin)

A
  • Type III collagen fibres
  • Thin
  • Delicate framework of organs like liver, spleen, lymph nodes etc.
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9
Q

Summary of elastic fibres (elastin) properties

A
  • Thin
  • Branching
  • Allows stretching
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10
Q

What is ground substance made up of?

A
  • Hyaluronic acid backbone (GAG)

- Proteoglycan branches made up of: link protein, core protein and glycosaminoglycans (GAG)

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11
Q

Are ground substances hydrophilic or phobic?

A

Hydrophilic (traps water)

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12
Q

What are basic types of connective tissue?

A
  • Loose connective tissue
  • Dense connective tissue
  • Adipose tissue
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13
Q 
Be
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Totally
Cool
Read 
Bought
Books
A

Type 1 collagen fibre = Bone, Skin, Tendon
Type 2 = Cartilage
Type 3 = Reticulin and Blood vessels
Type 4 = Basement membrane

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14
Q

What is the function of mast cells and where are they derived from?

A
  • Bone marrow

- Release bioactive substances (histamine, heparin etc.) that mediate local inflammatory responses

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15
Q

What type of blood cell are macrophages derived from?

A

Monocyte precursor

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16
Q

What do macrophages and lymphocytes do?

A

Protection against specific viral and bacterial pathogens

17
Q

What are reticular fibres and what is their function?

A
  • Supportive stroma

- Scaffoldings

18
Q

What do reticular cells do?

A

Fibroblasts secreting reticular fibres

19
Q

What is white adipose tissue?

A
  • Subcutaneous (insulator)
  • Unilocular
  • Stores fat for energy release
  • Signet ring appearance on H&E
20
Q

What is brown adipose tissue?

A
  • Scapula
  • Multilocular
  • Thermogenesis
  • Rich in mitochondria and capillaries
  • Many small fat droplets - soap bubble appearance
21
Q

What is tendonitis?

A

Inflammation of tendons

- Tendons have a very poor blood supply, so don’t heal well

22
Q

What are elastic fibres composed of and describe the ultrastructural appearance of elastic fibres?

A
  • Elastin and scaffolding provided by fibrillar (a structural glycoprotein) both secreted by fibroblasts
  • Allow stretch and recoil of structures
  • Prevalent in lungs, skin, bladder and walls of elastic arteries e.g. aorta
  • Marfan’s syndrome - results from mutation in fibrillar gene - therefore, less resistance to stretch in tissues which normally have a lot of elastic fibres - risk of aortic aneurysms
23
Q

Fibres + Ground substance =

A

Extracellular matrix

24
Q

Give an overview of collagen fibres

A
  • Flexible yet have a higher tensile strength than steel

- If you stretch collagen fibres over 3% of their original length they break

25
Give an overview of elastin fibres
- Provide connective tissue with the ability to stretch and recoil back to its original shape - Tissues with a high elastic content in their matrix e.g. the cartilage of the ear will be more elastic than those with little (ligaments) or no elastin (tendons)
26
Give an overview of ground substance
- Fibres are embedded in an amorphous ground substance which is the component of connective tissue that occupies the space between the fibres and the cells - It is a viscous clear substance that feels very slippery because it is highly hydrated - Ground substance is composed of proteoglycans - highly hydrophobic molecules that trap water within the matrix
27
Give an overview of cells
- In dense connective tissues, only one cell cycle is present - the cell that produces the fibre and ground substance - In loose and dense connective tissue this cell is the fibroblast
28
What is loose connective tissue?
- Surrounds blood vessels within tissues and underlies the basement membrane of epithelia - it is the site of metabolic exchange between the capillary and the tissue it supplies - Composed largely of the hydrated ground substance with relatively few fibres (both collagen and elastin) and fibroblasts - Provides ideal environment for the exchange of nutrients and waste products between tissues and the blood - Therefore populated by macrophages, lymphocytes and plasma cells which act as mobile residents, and other white blood cells can be rapidly recruited from local blood vessels when required - Apidocytes
29
What is dense connective tissue?
- Provides tough physical support and protection - E.g. ligaments, tendons and in dermis of skin - Comprised largely of fibres where collagen fibres are arranged in a very orderly fashion - Dense irregular connective tissue - less ordered array of collagen fibres although same density
30
What is metabolic exchange?
Responding to environmental stimuli using metabolic exchange controlled via homeostasis
31
What do tendons do?
Connect muscles to bones
32
What do ligaments do?
Connect bones to other bones
33
what is an oedema?
- caused by excess fluid becoming trapped in body tissues - accumulates in extracellular vascular spaces like ankles feet and legs - increases diffusion distance for oxygen and other nutrients
34
how do you diagnose an oedema?
- pressure applied, if fluid there will be a gap
35
what is Marfan’s syndrome?
- A defect in the gene that tells the body how to make fibrilin-1, which is a major constituent of microfibrils which form the frame for elastic fibres - artery wall breaks down and causes an aneurism

MTM (25 decks)

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