Merocrine Gland Brief Description of

Vertebrate Skin

Fishes
•epidermis is thin and glandular and closely
applied to scales embedded in the dermis
•glands secrete a mucus that coats the body
and protects against disease and injury
•on sharks and rays the scales are covered
with enamel and project through the skin
•such scales in the mouth region probably
gave rise to the first vertebrate teeth

Land Vertebrates (amphibians,

reptiles birds and mammals)
Apocrine Gland  have a stratified epidermis of several
cell layers with the outermost portion
cornified.

1. Amphibians
• its skin is glandular and moist; thin and
naked
• for respiration and absorption

Reptiles, birds and mammals

 the cornified part is dry and tougher,
more resistant to abrasion and water
loss

2. Reptiles
 Skin is very much thicker (especially
the epidermis) and is provided with
Holocrine Gland exoskeletal structures like scales, scutes
and plates (for protection, and
preservation of the loss of body fluids)
 it is thickened into scales, sometimes
underlaid with bony scutes
 reptile-like scales are also found on the
legs of birds and tails of rodents

3. Birds
 Skin is thin, loose and covered with
exoskeletal structures like feathers,
scales, claws and beak or bill (serve as
body covering, insulation, protection
and for flight)
 covered with feathers (nonliving
cornified products of the epidermis that
conserve body heat, protect against
abrasion, smooth contours, and provide
streamlining)
 feathers form the broad surfaces of
wings and tail in flight
 protects from invasion of infectious
microorganisms
 temperature regulation
 acts as an accessory mechanism for
tactile and pressure corpuscles
 excretory function, eliminating water
with the various salts that compose
perspiration, and the dead cells
themselves become an important way
of eliminating salts
 important light screen for the
underlying living cells absorbing
powers:; absorb oily materials placed in
contact with

PARTS OF THE SKIN

The skin consist of two layers:

 Epidermis, cuticle
 Dermis, corium or cutis vera

4. Mammals

 skin of mammals contain sweat glands,

important in cooling the body, and
sebaceous glands, which secrete a fatty,
oily substance that keeps the skin and
hair pliable and reduces the rate of
evaporation of water
 in many mammals fat deposits in the
dermis further contribute to insulation.
 Pigment scattered throughout the skin,
being concentrated in the epidermis in
mammals.
 The human skin resembles that of other
mammals but is scantily haired and thin
in most parts.

Human skin (considered as the largest

organ)
Functions
 Skin is a tough, elastic material that
prevents rapid evaporation of water
from our bodies. It prevents our inner
tissues from completely drying up.
 covers the body and protects deeper
tissues from drying and injury
EPIDERMIS (Epi = upon + dermis =
skin)
 stratified squamous epithelium.
 varies in thickness in different parts of
the body, being thickest in the palms of
the hands and soles of the feet and
thinnest on the ventral surface of the
trunk and inner surfaces of the limbs
 forms a protective covering on every
part of the true skin and is closely
molded on the papillary layer of the
corium
 Devoid of blood vessels
5 Regions of the epidermis
1.Stratum corneum: horny or outer layer
2.Stratum lucidum: clear or translucent
layer
3.Stratum granulosum: granular layer
4.Stratum spinosum: prickle cell layer
5.Stratum germinativum: germinal or
basal layer
 The three outer layers consists of cells
that are constantly being shed and
renewed from the cells of the stratum
germinativum.
STRATUM GERMINATIVUM
 layer of columnar cells that forms
the deepest part of the epidermis
 cells contain a pigment that
determines the darkness of the skin
 growth of the epidermis is by
multiplication of the cells of the
germinative layer
 cells divide to form daughter cells
continually and newlyformed cells
push the more mature cells towards
the surface
 cells then pass various phases of
degeneration and eventually become
scales and are rubbed off
STRATUM SPINOSUM
 variable thickness and composed of
irregularly (many-sided) shaped cells
 called prickle-cell layer because the
surface of the cells is covered with
short cytoplasmic spines or projections
 live cells and represent mature
germinal cells
STRATUM GRANULOSUM
 cells with granules which represents an
early stage of degeneration
 cells are in transition between s.
germinativum and the horny cells to the
superficial layers
STRATUM LUCIDUM
 cells have lost their nuclei and cellular
outlines due to the degenerative process
STRATUM CORNEUM
 protoplasm of the cell has become
changed into a protein called keratin,
which acts as a waterproof covering
 the reaction is acid and many kinds of
organisms, when placed upon the skin
are destroyed, presumably by the effect
of the acidity

DERMIS
 Corium or true skin which lies
underneath the epidermis and
composed of loose connective tissues
with fibrous and elastic tissue fiber in
between. Due to the fibers dermis is
flexible and elastic.
 Highly sensitive and contains
numerous blood vessels, nerves
glands, hair follicles and papillae
 Fat cells may be present, blood and
lymph capillaries pass freely through
the dermis but very few nerve endings
penetrate into the epidermis
2 LAYERS OF DERMIS
1. Papillary or superficial layer
 Lies next to the epidermis
 layer is increased by small conical
elevations called papillae.
 cells of the germinal layer of the
epidermis fit into these papillae and
hollows in between them. This
results in ridges on the skin
surfaceutilized in fingerprinting
procedures.
2. Reticular or deeper layer
 consists of strong bands of fibrous
tissue and some fibers of elastic
tissue. These bands interlace, and
the tiny spaces formed by their
interlacement are occupied by
adipose tissue and sweat glands.
 attached to the parts beneath by a
subcutaneous loose connective
tissue
APPENDAGES OF THE SKIN
1. Nails/Ungues
 are composed of clear, horny cells
of the epidermis, joined so as to
form a solid continuous plate upon
the dorsal surface of the phalanges.
 each nail is closely adherent to the
underlying corium, which is
modified to form what is called bed
or matrix
 the body of the nail is the part that
is visible (shown)
the hidden part is the nail groove also
called as the nail root.
 the lunule/lunula is the crescent
shaped white area that can be seen
on the part nearest the root.
 the eponychium is the outer horny
layer of epidermis at the base of the
nail that tends to grow out over the
nail body
 the nails appear pink except the
lunule because the blood in the
capillary bed shows through it.

3. Arrector (Arrectores Pilorum)

2. Hairs
 the hairs or pili are growths of the
epidermis, developed in the hair
follicles.
 hair follicle or hair shaft is a small
canal opening upon the skin surface
and extending down into the dermis.
 part that lies within the follicle is
known as the root, and that portion
which projects beyond the surface
of the skin is called the shaft.
 root of hair is enlarged at the bottom
of the follicle into a bulb.
 hair has no blood vessels but
receives nourishment from the
blood vessels.
Muscles
 connected with each follicle are
small bundles of involuntary
muscles called arrector muscles.
 they arise from the papillary layer of
the corium and are inserted into the
hair follicle below the entrance of
the duct of a sebaceous gland.
 these muscles are situated on the
side toward which the hairs slope
and when they contract under the
influence of cold and fright, they
straighten the follicles and elevate
the hairs, producing the roughened
condition of the skin known as
“gooseflesh”.
  Largest sebaceous glands are found
on the nose and other parts of the
GLANDS OF THE SKIN face. giving risk to the condition
commonly known as blackheads,
1. Sebaceous glands pimples.
 sebum is the secretion of the
sebaceous glands. It contains fats,
cholesterol, albuminous material,
remnants of epithelial cells and
inorganic salts.
 sebum serves to protect the hairs
from becoming too dry and brittle,
as well as from becoming too easily
saturated with moisture.

2. Sudoriferous glands
 drops and is then spoken of a
 abundant over the whole skin but sensible perspiration.
are largest and most numerous in
the axillae, the palms of the hands, 3. Ceruminous glands
the soles of the feet and the
forehead  skin lining the auditory canal
 simple tubelike glands consisting of contains modified sweat glands
a single canal or duct, and a coiled which secrete a yellow, pasty
secreting part. The duct opens upon substance resembling wax which is
the skin surface and has a layer of called cerumen.
epithelial cells surrounding its  an accumulation of cerumen deep in
canal. the auditory canal may interfere
 each gland consists of a single tube, with hearing.
with a blind, coiled end that is
lodged in the subcutaneous tissue.
The coiled end, the tube is
continued as the excretory duct of
the gland up through the corium and
epidermis and finally opens on the
surface by a pore.

 perspiration or sweat contains the

same inorganic constituents as the
blood but in lower concentration
with the chief salt of sodium
chloride
 under ordinary circumstances, the
perspiration that the body is
continually throwing off evaporates
from the surface of the body
without one’s becoming aware of it
and is called insensible
perspiration.
 when more sweat is poured upon
the surface of the body that can be
removed at once by evaporation, it
appears on the skin in the form of