Connective Tissue

Two Major Classifications

• Connective Tissue Proper
– Loose connective tissue
– Dense connective tissue

• Special Connective Tissue

– Cartilage
– Bone
– Blood
– Hematopoietic tissue
 Connective Tissue Proper
Functions:
• Envelops muscles
• Binds organs together
• Forms the supporting framework of organs
• Venue of gas and substance exchange
between the blood and tissues
• Arena for immune cells’ functions
 Connective Tissue Proper
Basic Composition:
• Cells
• Extracellular Matrix
– Ground Substance
– Extracellular Fibers
 Extracellular Matrix
• Ground Substance
– Gel-like consistency
– Mainly made up of water that is stabilized by
proteoglycans, mineral salts, and glycoproteins

Proteoglycans
- main structural constituent of the ground
substance
- composed of GAGs attached to core proteins
Extracellular Matrix
 Extracellular Fibers
• Responsible for supportive function
• The amount and type of fiber determines
the strength and elasticity of the tissue

3 Types of Fibers:
a. Collagen Fiber
b. Elastic Fiber
c. Reticular Fiber
 Extracellular Fibers
• Collagen Fibers
– Colorless but appear white when abundant in
fresh tissue; pink in H&E
– Tensile strength is greater than steel
– Slightly flexible but Inelastic
– Produced by fibroblasts
 Extracellular Fibers
• Elastic Fibers
– Demonstrates branching and anastomosis
– Lesser tensile strength than collagen
– Can stretch up to 2x in length and return to
original length
– Produced by fibroblasts, smooth muscle cells,
and mesenchymal cells
 Extracellular Fibers
• Reticular Fibers
– Branching and anastomosing
– Made up of collagen type III
– Produced by reticular cells
Extracellular Fibers
Extracellular Fibers
 Cells Found in Connective
Tissue
• Resident Cells
a. Mesenchymal cells
b. fibroblasts/fibrocytes
c. Reticular cells
d. Adipose cells
e. Mast cells
f. Resident macrophages
• Visiting Cells
a. Inflammatory macrophages
b. Plasma cells
Mesenchymal Cells
• Stellate cells that are indistinguishable from
fibroblasts when viewed in light microscopy
• Stem cells
• Rare in adults
Fibroblasts and Fibrocytes
• Most abundant cell type in most connective
tissues
• Responsible for synthesizing the
extracellular material (ground substance
and fibers)
• Fibrocyte
– Resting fibroblast
Reticular Cells
• Specialized fibroblasts
• Few in most connective tissues
• Most abundant in reticular tissues
Adipose Cells / Adipocytes
• Store lipids in its cytoplasm
• Signet ring cells
ETC
• Resident Macrophages
• Mast Cells
• Inflammatory Macrophages
• Plasma Cells
 Connective Tissue Proper
• Loose Connective Tissue Proper
• Dense Connective Tissue Proper
 Loose Connective Tissue
Proper
• Highly vascular and has abundant
extracellular substance with haphazardly
arranged fibers
 Loose Connective Tissue
2 TYPES:
• Ordinary Loose Connective Tissue
– Collagen fibers are predominant
– Fibroblasts are the predominant cells

• Modified Loose Connective Tissue

 Modified Loose Connective
Tissue
• Adipose Tissue
• Reticular Tissue
• Elastic Tissue
• Mucous Tissue
 Dense Connective Tissue
• Dense Regular
– Fibers are arranged in the same direction

• Dense Irregular
– Fibers run in various directions