Other Tissues
Connective Tissues
• Connect body parts, widely distributed
• Functions
– Protect, Support, Bind
• Characteristics
– Varied blood supply
– Contain an extracellular matrix
Extracellular Matrix
• Produced by connective tissues
• Composed of
– Ground substance
• Water, adhesion proteins, polysaccharides
• Can absorb large amounts of water
– Matrix fibers
• Collagen (white) fibers – strong
• Elastic (yellow) fibers – stretch and recoil
Connective Tissue Types
• Bone
– Bone cells in cavities (lacunae)
– Surrounded by calcium and collagen
• Cartilage
– More flexible
– Types
• Hyaline cartilage
– Collagen fibers; rubbery, blue white appearance
• Fibrocartilage
– Compressible, found between vertebrae
• Elastic cartilage
– Elastic!, external ear
Connective Tissues
Connective Tissues
• Dense connective
– Collagen fibers with
fibroblasts
– Tendons (muscle to bone)
– Ligaments (bone to bone)
– Lower layer of skin
• Loose connective
– Softer contains fewer fibers
– Areolar tissue – cobwebby,
“glue”
– Adipose – fat tissue
– Reticular tissue
• Contains reticular cells similar
to fibroblast
Connective Tissue
• Blood
– Extracellular matrix – plasma
– Invisible fibers – only visible during clotting
– Transport vessel for cardiovascular system
Muscle Tissue
• Function: To contract to
produce movement
• 3 types
– Skeletal
• Voluntary control
• Striated
– Cardiac - heart
• Involuntary control
• Striated, contain intercalated
discs
– Smooth
• Involuntary control
• Spindle shaped, no striations
• Found in walls of hollow organs
Nervous Tissue
• Two main functions: Irritability, conductivity
• Composed of
– Nerve cells (neurons)
– Supporting cells – insulate, support, protect
Tissue Repair
• Two ways
– Regeneration (replace with same type cells)
– Fibrosis (replace with scar tissue)
• Repair determined by
– Type of tissue damaged
– Severity of injury
Tissue Repair
• Events
– Capillaries become permeable
• Allow clotting proteins to get to injury
• Clot stops bleeding, holds wound together
– Granulation
• Delicate, light pink tissue
• Mainly capillaries
– Regeneration
• Scab detaches
• New tissue exposed