Connective

i Tissues
Ti

Aj
Ajman U
University
i i off SScience
i & TTechnology
h l
Facultyy off Dentistryy
Histology & Cell Biology
08 01 112
Dr. Al-
Al-Moutassem Billah KhairK
Connective Tissues
Connective tissue is the term traditionally applied to a basic type of
tissue of mesodermal origin which provides structural and metabolic support
f other
for h tissues
i andd organs throughout
h h the h body.
b d
Connective tissues usually contain blood vessels and mediate the
exchange of nutrients,
nutrients metabolites and waste products between tissues and
the circulatory system.
A connective tissues contain isolated cells surrounded byy extracellular
All x
material “matrix” which is synthesized by own cells.
Connective tissue viscosity and tensile strength vary according to the
arrangement of their extracellular matrix fibrous and amorphous components
(fibrinogen, collagen, proteoglycans …).
Connective
C i tissues,
i i fact,
in f i di
indicate the
h wide
id range off function
f i off this
hi
type of tissue “supporting tissue”.
 Connective tissue locations

Connective tissues are omnipresent in the body. Every organ is

p
composed of,
f, or ensheathed by,
y, at least some connective tissue.
) They bind epithelial tissues to the subjacent structures of the body and hold
the parenchymal epithelial cells together to form the organ (lungs, liver, …).
) They bind skeletal muscles together and attach them to bones by tendons or
attach bones to bones by ligaments.
) They form robust capsules of organs such as the liver and spleen.
) They surround the central nervous system by a sheath, and some exist in and
aroundd peripheral
i h l nerves andd ganglia.
li
) Other are specialized connective tissues “bone, cartilage & peripheral blood.
 Connective tissue functions
Connective tissues have variety of functions like
) They bind tissues and organs of the body.
body
) They provide tough physical support (dermis) and the source of
greatt tensile
t il strength
t th (ligament
(li t & tendon).
t d )
)They have important metabolic roles such as the storage of fat
( hi adipose
(white di tissue)
i ) andd regulation
l i off body
b d temperature ini the
h
newborn (brown adipose tissue).
)Some of the cells of connective tissue form the major part of the
body’s defenses against pathogenic microorganisms.
)They are largely involved in the processes of tissue repair.
 Connective tissue components

A connective tissues consist off cells,, extracellular

All x ffibers and
amorphous ground substance.
The cells of connective tissue:
1. Cells responsible for synthesis and maintenance of the extracellular material.
They are derived from precursor cells in primitive mesenchyme. The types are
fibroblasts, chondroblasts, osteoblasts and odontoblasts. They produce fibers
and ground substance.
2. Cells responsible for the storage and metabolism of fat, adipocytes.
3. Cells with defense and immune functions. This group of cells includes the
mast cells,
ll macrophages
h & mononuclear
l phagocyte
h system cells,
ll plasma
l cells
ll
as well as all types of white blood cells.
Mesenchyme cells are relatively
unspecialized and are capable of
differentiation into all connective
tissue cell types.
They have an irregular, stellate or
fusiform shape with delicate
b
branching
hi cytoplasmic
t l i extensions.
t i
The nuclei are oval with visible
nucleoli.
Some mesenchymal cells remain in
fully mature supporting tissue &
provide a pluripotential source of
cells.
Active fibroblasts are
stellate shape
p with
extensive cytoplasmic
processes.
They contain
large nucleus with
prominent nucleolus,
nucleolus
and many cytoplasmic
organelles, which is
the evidence of active
protein synthesis.
Mature fibroblast or fibrocyte is
smaller than the active fibroblasts.
The cell is long and thin with fine
cytoplasmic processes.
The cytoplasm is greatly reduced in
volume and the nucleus is
condensed and elongated in the
direction off the collagen
g ffibers.
The main function is to maintain
the integrity of supporting tissue
by continuous slow turnover of the
extracellular material.
Mast cells are darkly stained because of their
cytoplasmic ggranules.
anules. They aaree involved in defense
function and promote an increase in vascular
permeability.
Loose connective tissue contains, in addition to
ffibroblasts (F), leucocytes
y off different
ff types
y
(Lymphocyte, Eosinophils, Neutophils) macrophages (M)
and plasma cells (P).
 The fibers of connective tissue:

They are of two main types, collagen (including reticulin) and elastin. The
blood contains an extracellular fibrous component called fibrinogen, which is
converted into actual fibers of fibrin when blood clots.
clots
1. Collagen is the main fiber type found in most connective tissues and is the
most abundant pprotein in the human body.
y
Collagen fibers are flexible and have a remarkably high tensile strength.
Collagen is secreted into the extracellular matrix in the form of tropocollagen
which consists of three polypeptide α chains (two α1 & one α2) bound
together to form a helical structure. In he extracellular matrix, the
t
tropocollagen
ll molecules
l l polymerize
l i to t form
f collagen
ll fib il then
fibrils, th collagen
ll
fibrils aggregate to form fibers.
 The fibers of
connective tissue
The fibers of connective tissue

Collagen
fibers
fib
 The ffibers off connective tissue:

The
Th α chains
h i that
th t form
f the
th helix
h li are nott allll alike,
lik andd according
di tot differences
diff
in α chains, as many as 16 different types of collagen have been identified.
These various collagen
g are classified
f byy R Roman numerals on the basis off
chronology of discovery. The main types can be classified as follows:
- Collagen that form long fibrils: Type I (skin, tendon, bone, dentin), type II
(cartilage, vitreous body), type III (skin, muscles, blood vessels), type V (fetal
skin, skin, bone, placenta, most interstitial tissues), type XI (cartilage).
- Collagen
C ll that
h forms
f networks:
k Type
T IV (basement
(b membranes)
b )
- Collagen that forms anchoring fibrils: Type VII (basal lamina).
- Fibril-associated
Fib il i t d collagens:
ll T
Type IX (cartilage,
( til vitreous
it b d ) type
body), t XII
(embryonic tendon & skin), type XIV (fetal skin & tendon).
 The fibers of connective tissue:

2. Reticular fibers are closely related to collagen fibers, in that they both consist
of collagen fibrils.
fibrils The reticular fiber is composed of type III collagen & may
also be type IV collagen.
They are formed by loosely packed, thin fibrils bound together by small
interfibrillar bridges. The fibrils do not bundle to form thick fibers.
They are arranged in a mesh-like pattern or network in loose connective
tissue, around glands & smooth muscles, bone marrow and lymphoid organs.
 The fibers of connective tissue:

3. Elastic fibe
fiberss aaree composed of th
three
ee types, oxytalan, elaudin and elastic.
Elastin is a rubber-like material which is arranged as fibers &/or
discontinuous sheets in the extracellular matrix particularly of skin, lung
and blood vessels where it confers the properties of stretching and elastic
recoil.
They are
Th ar typically
t i all thinner
thi r than
tha collagen
llag fibers
fib r and
a d arranged
arra g d in
i a branching
bra hi g
pattern to form a three-dimensional network.
They are interwoven with collagen to limit the distensibility of the tissue
and to prevent tearing from excessive stretching.
The fibers of connective tissue

Elastic fibers
 The ground substance of connective tissue:

- Ground substance is an amorphous transparent material, that occupies the

space between
b the
h cells
ll andd fibers,
fib andd has
h the
h properties
i off a semi-fluid
i fl id gel.l
- Ground substance (G. S.) is a highly hydrated, mixture of glycosaminoglycans
in the form of hyaluronic acid and proteoglycans.
proteoglycans
- These huge molecules are entangled and electrostatically linked to one
another and their water off hydration,
y , to fform a fflexible
x ggel through
g which
metabolites may diffuse.
- The size of the spaces between the glycosaminoglycan molecules and the
nature of electrostatic changes determine the permeability characteristics of
any particular connective tissue.
- G.
G S.
S mechanical
h i l properties
i are reinforced
i f d by b theh fibrous
fib proteins
i off the
h
extracellular matrix to which its components are also bound.
Connective tissue classification

Classification
Cl ifi i is i based
b d on the h composition
i i andd organization
i i off the
h
cellular and extracellular components and on special functions.
I. Generall connective tissue proper:
Loose (areolar) connective tissue
Dense connective tissue: regular , irregular
II. Special
p connective tissue pproper:
p
Adipose tissue, reticular tissue, elastic tissue, mucous tissue
III Supporting (specialized) connective tissue:
III.
Cartilage, bone, peripheral blood.
Connective
tissue
classification
 Loose connective tissue:

- Loose connective tissue is characterized by loosely arranged fibers and an

abundance of cells. The fibers are thin and relatively sparse. The ground
substance is abundant and occupies more volume than fibers.
fibers
- It has a viscous to gel-like consistency and is important in the diffusion of
yg and nutrients ffrom the small vessels that course through
oxygen g this tissue as
well as the diffusion of metabolites back to the vessels.
- The primary location is beneath those epithelia that cover the body surfaces.
It is also present around glands and smallest vessels.
- Its location represents the initial site in which antigens and other foreign
substances
bt h i entered
having t d an epithelial
ith li l surface
f can be
b challenged
h ll d andd
destroyed. Thus, it is the site of inflammatory and allergic or immune reactions.
Examples of location: mesenteries, lamina propria
and the adventitial laye
layer of blood vessels.
Fibers: collagen (C), reticular and elastic fibers (E).
Loose connective tissue contains a variety of cells, which
can include resident fibroblasts (F),
(F) macrophages (M),
(M) mast
cells, plasma cells (P) and leukocytes (L, N, Eo).
 Dense connective tissue:

- Dense connective tissue have more fibers per unit volume than loose
connective
i tissue.
i I contains
It i fewer
f cells
ll andd little
li l groundd substance.
b
- Dense connective tissue can be divided into regular and irregular according to
the arrangement of the fibers.
fibers
A. Dense regular connective tissue is characterized by ordered and densely
ppacked
k arrays y off ffibers and cells. It is the main ffunctional component
p off
tendons, ligaments, aponeuroses and in the stroma of the cornea.
) Tendons are cord-like structures that join muscles to bone.
They consist of parallel bundles of collagen fibers (type I) between which are
rows of fibroblasts (tendinocytes).
The tendon is surrounded by a thin connective tissue capsule, the
epitendineum, which is a dense irregular connective tissue.
 Dense
connective
Dense
tissue:
regular
connective
tissue from
a tendon
 Dense connective tissue:

) Ligaments join bone to bone. They are similar to tendons, in that they
contain
i fibers
fib andd fibroblasts
fib bl arrangedd in
i parallel,
ll l but
b the
h fibers
fib are less
l
regularly arranged than those in tendons.
Collagen is the major extracellular fiber of most ligaments.
ligaments
Some of the ligaments associated with the spinal column contain considerable
numbers off elastic ffibers and ffew collagen
g ffibers. These ligaments
g are called
elastic ligaments (yellow ligaments).
) Aponeuroses are much like broad flattened tendons. Instead of all of the
fibers lying in parallel arrays, the fibers of aponeuroses are arranged in
multiple layers.
The bundles
Th b dl off collagen
ll fib in
fibers i eachh off the
h layers
l are arrangedd in
i regular
l
arrays and tend to be arranged at 90 o angles to the neighboring layers.
B. Dense irregular connective tissue is characterized by
an abundance of fibe fiberss and few cells. Cells aaree
typically fibroblasts.
It exists in the dermis of the skin, capsules of organs
(liver, spleen, …) and in the periosteum surrounding
bones.
It provides significant strength because of the high
proportion of collagen fibers.
The fibers are arranged in bundles oriented in
vari directions
various dir ti to t withstand
with ta d stresses
tr t which
to whi h an
a
organ or structure may be subjected.
Reticular tissue:

Reticular tissue forms a delicate

supporting framework for many
highly cellular organs such as
endocrine glands, lymph nodes, the
small vascular channels of liver,
spleen, bone marrow and thymus.
Reticular tissue is a specialized
loose connective tissue consisting of
reticular fibers,
fibers reticulin,
reticulin with a
rich coat of glycoproteins.
Reticular cells resemble fibroblasts
f
with long processes morphologically
similar to mesenchymal cells.
Elastic tissue:
Ela ti tissue
Elastic ti i present
is r t in i the
th yellow
ll ligaments
li a t off the
th
vertebral column and in the suspensory ligament of the
ppenis. Also,, some off bodyy tissues contain largeg amount off
elastic fiber like the wall of elastic arteries & dermis.

Dermis of the skin

Elastic tissue:
It is composedd off bundles
b dl off thick
h k elastic
l f b withh
fibers
thin collagen fibers and flattened fibroblasts. The
abundance of elastic fibers gives it a typical yellow color
and great elasticity.

Large
artery
H
Human A
Aorta
t
 Mucous tissue:
Mucous tissue is the principal
component off the h umbilical
bili l cordd
“Wharton’s jelly” and, also, found in
the pulp of young teeth.
Mucous tissue is a jellylike tissue
containing very few fibers and the
cells are mainly fibroblasts.
Mucous tissue has an abundance of
groundd substance
b composedd mainly
l off
hyaluronic acid.
Mucous tissue of an embryo
 Adipose
p tissue:

- The cells, adipocytes, are adapted for the storage of fat.

- Adipocytes are found in isolation or in clumps throughout loose connective
tissue or may form the main cell type as in adipose tissue.
- The fat stored within adipocytes is derived from three main sources:
) Dietary fat circulating in the blood stream as chylomicrons
) Triglycerides synthesized in the liver and transported in blood
) Triglycerides synthesized from glucose within adipocytes
- Adipose tissue acts as a temporary store of substances for the energy-deriving
processes of almost all tissues, and, therefore, generally has rich blood supply.
- The
Th rate
rat off fat deposition
d iti and a d utilization
tili ati within
ithi adipose
adi ti
tissue dtr i d
determined
by dietary intake and expenditure.
 Adipose tissue:

- Adipose tissue of two types that have different locations, structures, colors,
and pathologic characteristics.
A. White adipose tissue “unilocular”
A unilocular is distributed throughout the body
especially in the deep layer of the skin, the breasts, over the abdomen, around
the hips
p and buttocks.
Unilocular adipose tissue accounts for about 25% of the normal weight in
female and 20% in male.
In addition to being an important energy store, white adipose tissue acts as a
thermal insulator under the skin and functions as a cushion against
mechanical
h i l shock
h k ini suchh sites
it as aroundd kidneys
kid andd eyes. Adipose
Adi ti
tissue
infiltrates the mesenteries and the omentum in varying degrees.
White adipose tissue is composed of large polyhedral cells
(50-150 µµm) and small amount off extracellular matrix
containing reticular fibers. It is subdivided into incomplete
lobules by septa of connective tissue containing blood vessels.
Adipocytes contain a single central fat vacuole that is not
bounded by a plasma memb
membrane,
ane, but appea
appear to be bounded
by a regularly spaced array of 9 nm diameter filaments. The
nucleus flat and unremarkable peripherally located.
The cell cytoplasm is reduced to a small peripheral rim
aaround
ound the fat ddroplet
oplet containing the usual aarray
ay of
organelles.
A rich network of blood capillaries is found in between cell.

Adipocytes in loose connective tissue

B. Brown adipose tissue “multilocular” highly specialized
type
y that is ffound in newborn mammals and some
hibernating animals, where it plays an important part in
body temperature regulation. In human adults, only small
amounts
t off brown
b adipose
di ti
tissue are found.
f d
The cells of brown adipose tissue are smaller than those of white adipose
tissue. The nucleus of a mature multilocular adipocyte is typically in an
eccentric position within the cell, but it is not flattened, as is the nucleus of a
white
hit adipocyte.
di t
Its color is due to cytochromes in its extraordinary abundant mitochondria.
Brown adipose tissue is subdivided into lobules by partitions of connective
tissue, but the connective tissue stroma between individual cells within the
lobules is sparse.
p
The tissue has an exceedingly rich blood capillaries that enhance its color.
Brown adipose tissue is present in large amounts in the newborn, because of
the high surface-to-mass ratio in the newborn that results in excessive heat
loss.