Tissues of the Body
Key Terms
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Histology:
 the study of tissues.
Tissues:
 groups of cells which are similar in
structure and which perform common or
related functions.
Four Basic Kinds of Tissues
 Epithelial
Tissue
 Connective Tissue
 Muscle Tissue
 Nervous Tissue
Epithelial Tissue
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Epithelial Tissue Locations:
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Covers the body
Lines the cavities, tubes, ducts and blood vessels
inside the body
Covers the organs inside body cavities
Epithelial Tissue Functions:
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Protection from physical & chemical injury,
Protection against microbial invasion,
Contains receptors which respond to stimuli,
Filters, secretes & reabsorbs materials and
Secretes serous fluids to lubricate structures.
Connective Tissue
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Connective Tissue:
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Most abundant & widely distributed tissue
Connective Tissue Functions:
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Connects, binds and supports structures,
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Tendons, ligaments, etc.
Protects & cushions organs and tissues,
Insulates (fat) and
Transports substances (blood).
Muscle Tissue
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Muscle Tissue location:
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Associated with the bones of the skeleton, the heart
and in the walls of the hollow organs of the body.
Muscle Tissue Functions:
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Movement
Locomotion
Maintains posture
Produces heat
Facial expressions
Pumps blood
Peristalsis( wave- like motion )
Nervous Tissue
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Nervous Tissue location:
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Main component of the nervous system,
ie., brain, spinal cord & nerves.
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Nervous Tissue Functions:
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Regulates & controls body functions
Generates & transmits nerve impulses
Supports, insulates and protects impulse
generating neurons.
Different types of Epithelium
Squamous Epithelium
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Simple – one cell
thick
Lines blood vessels,
body cavities & cover
organs in body
cavities
Stratified – multiple
layers
Forms epidermis
Cuboidal Epithelium
Cuboid Cells
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Duct
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Cuboid Cells
Duct
Simple – one cell thick
Roughly cube shaped
Line ducts in kidneys,
etc, where
reabsorption and
secretory activities
take place.
Columnar Epithelium
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Simple – one cell
thick
Column shaped (long
& narrow)
Line digestive tract
where reabsorption &
secretion occurs.
Pseudostratified –
gives the appearance
of more than one
layer of columnar
epithelial cells
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Specific Connective Tissue Types:
 Adipose
 Bone
 Hyalaine
cartilage
Connective - Adipose
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Stores energy (fat)
Insulates
Supports & protects
organs
Connective - Bone
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Supports & protects
Mineral storage
Fat storage
Blood cell production
Connective – Hyaline Cartilage
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Supports while
providing flexibility
Absorbs compression
between bones in
joints (articular
cartilage)
Holds open respiratory
passages
Most abundant type of
cartilage in body
Muscle Tissue Types:
•
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Consists of specialized cells that contract when stimulated
The body has three types of muscle tissue:
• Skeletal (voluntary)
• Cardiac (involuntary)
• Smooth muscle (involuntary)
Muscle - Skeletal
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Muscle fibers (cells)
long, parallel &
cylindrical
With many nuclei
(multinucleate)
Striations (cross
stripes run
perpendicular to the
cells
Produce voluntary
movement
Locomotion
Heat
Specific Nervous Tissue Types
Nervous – Neuron
• Conducting cells, called
neurons, transmit
impulses from one region
of the body to another.
• Nonconducting cells,
neuroglia, are a type of
nervous system
connective tissue.
Membranes
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Sheets of tissue that cover or
line surfaces or that separate
organs, or parts of organs
from one another.
Mucous – line cavities or
passages of the body that
open to the exterior such
as mouth, esophagus,
digestive tract,
respiratory passages
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Function in protection,
secretion of mucus, and
absorption
Cutaneous MembraneCovers the body
•Are continuous with
mucous membranes
Serous
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line closed cavities of the body such as thoracic
cavity (pleura), Abdominal cavity (peritoneum),
and sac in which heart lies (pericardium)
Also cover organs lying in those closed cavities
Has two layers
Visceral – covers organs
Parietal – lines the cavity
Potential space between the two layers is kept
moist by the secretion of a small amount of
serous fluid which prevents friction when the
two layers rub together
Synovial
MembranesLine joints, tendons,
and bursa(A sac
containing synovial
fluid at sites of friction)
• Secrete synovial
fluid which prevents
friction on the
smooth, moist
surfaces