Connective Tissue
Bringing Us All Together!
Introduction
• Understanding our next type of
tissue is a challenge because it is
composed of many different
things
• For us to grasp the aspects of
connective tissue, we have to
imagine it much like a good bowl
of gumbo
Introduction
• I am not normally one for soup…
• A good bowl of seafood gumbo
is one of my favorite meals
• It is created from many different
ingredients coming together to
make a thick and rich soup that
has one defined flavor
• A good bowl of gumbo is a
defined meal made of many
different parts
Connective Tissue
• Connective tissues vary wildly in
appearance and function,
however they all contain three
basic things
• Specialized cells
• Extracellular protein fibers
• A fluid (ground substance)
• These three things can be found
throughout the body performing
different functions
Connective Tissue
• When we talk about the
combination of extracellular
fibers and ground substance
together, it is referred to as the
matrix
• The matrix makes up the large
part of most connective tissues
• This is different than epithelium
where cells make up the
majority of the tissue
Types of Connective Tissue
• There are three different types
of connective tissue that are in
the body
• These three different types of
connective tissue can be found
in different parts of the body
• They all have wildly different
functions and properties
Types of Connective Tissue
• Connective tissue proper
contains tissues with many
different cells and extracellular
fibers in a syrupy ground
substance
• This is a very broad category that
includes two main categories
• Loose connective tissue has few
supporting fibers
• Dense connective tissue has
many supporting fibers
Types of Connective Tissue
• Loose connective tissue contains
tissues such as adipose tissue
• Adipose tissue is commonly
referred to as fat
• It is commonly used as a long
term storage mechanism
• It has very loose groupings of
fibers to create a very loosely
bound substance
Video
• Liposuction Surgery…
• Kinda gross
• Not for everyone…
• https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=xLu-nbFaRW4
Types of Connective Tissue
• Dense connective tissue has a
larger number of fibers that
make up the matrix
• Tendons and ligaments are
examples of dense connective
tissue
• They are tough parts of the body
that have a strong and
connection with other parts of
the body
Video
• Ok… this is actual surgery
• Please do not watch if you do
not want to
• There will be cutting into skin,
blood and stitching of broken
parts
• You have been warned…
• https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=hP2medWpDLE
Types of Connective Tissue
• Fluid connective tissues have a
distinctive population of cells
and dissolved proteins within a
watery ground substance
• This type of connective tissue is
circulated around the body
• There are only two main types
• Blood tissue
• Lymph tissue
Video
• I really don’t know why I am
assaulting you with gross things
today
• But here are some interesting
facts about blood
• https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=mlx3-1E1c8U
Types of Connective Tissue
• Supporting connective tissues
are tissues that have fewer cells
and more supporting fibers
• Supporting connective tissues
can either help protect parts of
the body or support parts of the
body
• The two main types are
• Cartilage
• Bone
Connective Tissue Proper
• Connective tissue proper can be
compared to retired/elderly people
from New Jersey
• Other than being important
members of our community… what
do they do in the winter?
• Their migration is similar to
connective tissue proper
• Some retired/elderly people travel
to their winter home down south
• While many of them stay in New
Jersey to be near their families
Connective Tissue Proper
• Permanent residents are cells
that do not migrate around the
body
• They are locked in location and
often deal with energy storage
and local maintenance
• Migratory cells move around the
body
• These cells will respond to issues
in different tissues around the
body
Connective Tissue Proper
• There are several different types
of permanent residents
• Fibroblasts numerous in the
body and are the only cells
always present in it
• They secrete the proteins that
and carbohydrates that create
the ground substance and the
extracellular protein fibers
Connective Tissue Proper
• Fibrocytes are responsible for
maintaining the extracellular fibers
of connective tissue proper
• Adipocytes (fat cells) are
composed of a large droplet of fat
and all other organelles pushed off
to the side
• They are used for the long term
storage of energy
• Mast cells are located near blood
vessels and release histamine
Connective Tissue Proper
• Mesenchymal cells are local
stem cells that can create
fibroblasts, macrophages or
other connective tissue cells
• Melanocytes store the pigment
melanin, which helps protect
against radiation
Connective Tissue Proper
• Lymphocytes migrate
throughout the body defending
the body against disease
• Macrophages are large
amoeboid cells that engulf
damaged cells or pathogens that
are in the tissues
• Macro – Large
• Phage – Eat or Consume
Dense Connective Tissue
• In dense regular connective
tissue the fibers are parallel to
each other and are allied to the
forces being applied to each
other
• Tendons connect skeletal
muscles to bone
• Ligaments connect bones
together or stabilize organs
• Aponeurosis is a large flat sheet
that connects to large flat
muscles to bones or muscles
Dense Connective Tissue
• Dense irregular connective
tissue has an interwoven
network of fibers
• Often will strengthen and
support an area that receives
forces from all directions
• This is found in the skin
• Leather is an excellent example
Fluid Connective Tissue
• The fluid connective tissues are
two varied categories that travel
around the body
• The main goal for these two
tissues is to travel through the
different tissues of the body and
try to access different parts of
the body to do their job
• The jobs that they do are
different, but very important to
the well being of the organism
Fluid Connective Tissue
• Blood is a tissue that is
composed of all three elements
of connective tissue
• Plasma is a watery matrix that is
made of protein and fluid
• Inside of the plasma there are a
large collection of cells and
fragments of cells called formed
units
Fluid Connective Tissue
• Red blood cells are cells that
carry oxygen around the body
with the help of hemoglobin
• Red blood cells make up around
25% of the cells in your body
• White blood cells come in three
major groups and act defenders
of infection and disease
• Platelets are cell fragments that
are involved in clotting responce
Fluid Connective Tissue
• Lymph is a type of fluid that
forms as fluid enters lymphatic
vessels
• Cells from the immune system
monitor the lymph for signs of
infection, differences in nutrient
levels and detects levels of
toxins
• If the lymph is deemed “clean” it
is returned to the blood stream
Supporting Connective Tissues
• Supporting connective tissues
are tissues that provide a strong
framework for the body
• They ensure that the entire body
is able to support it’s own
weight, protect itself from harm
and have an anchoring structure
• These are often related to the
skeletal system
Supporting Connective Tissues
• Cartilage is a tough supportive
connective tissue that provides a
variety of functions throughout
the body
• It can be used to connect two
different bones
• It can also be used to protect
parts of the body
• Finally it can provide support
and structure to the framework
of the body
Supporting Connective Tissues
• Cartilage has a matrix of a thick
gel that contains dissolved
proteins
• The specialized cells are called
chondrocytes
• Depending on the type of
chondrocytes that are in the
cartilage, the tissue will take on
different properties
• This accounts for the differences
that you see in different types of
cartilage
Supporting Connective Tissues
• There are three main types of
cartilage
• Hyaline cartilage is a tough and
somewhat flexible cartilage that is
found in the sternum, nose and
cushions the knee
• Elastic cartilage contains many
elastic fibers and allows it to bend
in the ear and epiglottis
• Fibrocartilage has little ground
substance and can protect against
bone to bone contact in the spine
and the pelvis
Osseous Tissue
• The second connective tissue is
osseous tissue
• Osseous tissue (bone) is a
connective tissue with very small
amounts of ground substance
and contains a large amount of
calcium salts
• The rest of osseous tissue is
composed of collagen fibers
Osseous Tissue
• Bone’s matrix is composed of
over 60% calcium salts
• These salts have a hard but
brittle quality that provides a
base substance for strong and
flexible collagen fibers
• The most major is calcium
phosphate
• The other major calcium salt is
calcium carbonate
Osseous Tissue
• Since there is a hard and
supportive substance that is
locked together with a strong
flexible substance, bone is a very
supportive and tough tissue
• It makes a flexible substance
that is resistant to shattering
• It gives bone the properties of
reinforced concrete