CHAPTER 3 – EPITHELIAL TISSUE • Cell shape

CLASSIFICATIONS, STRUCTURAL AND o Squamous – scale-like or flat

FUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS o Cuboidal – cube-shaped
o Columnar – tall and thin
TISSUE
• A group of specialized cells and extracellular
substances surrounding them
• The microscopic study of tissue structures and
functions is histology, is often studied together
with its associated disease (histopathology)
• Tissues are studied to observe for changes:
• Growth
• Development
• Trauma and injury
• Diseases and mutations
• The four basic tissue types includes epithelial,
connective, muscular and nervous tissue.

EPITHELIAL TISSUE
• Epithelium, covers and protects surfaces, both
outside and inside the body. SIMPLE SQUAMOUS
• Characteristics common to epithelial tissue • Single layer of flat, often hexagonal. With
includes: its large central nucleus, it appears as
• Tightly packed cells – very little bumps when viewed in cross section.
extracellular matrix between them • Diffusion, filtration, with some secretion
• Covers body surfaces – lines most and protection
organs, including skin, digestive, • Linings of blood vessels, heart, lymphatic
respiratory and genitourinary tract, vessels, alveoli, lining of serous
blood vessels and linings of body membranes
cavities
• Distinct cell surface – most epithelial
tissues have one free surface, lateral
surface attached to other epithelial
cell, and base of cells attached to
basement membrane
• Nonvascular – transport substances
through diffusion
• Capable of regeneration – replaces
damaged cells with new epithelial cell
• Functions of epithelial tissue includes
• Protects underlying structures from
abrasions
• Acting as a barrier – prevents toxic
and biological agents from entering
the body
• Regulates the passage of substances
– allows many substances to move
through it
• Secretes substances – sweat glands,
mucous glands, enzymes, hormones.

CLASSIFICATIONS OF EPITHELIUM
• Number of layers
o Simple Epithelium – single layer of
cells
o Stratified Epithelium – more than
one layer of cells
o Pseudostratified Columnar
Epithelium – modification of simple
epithelium
o Transitional Epithelium –
modification of stratified epithelium
 Alveoli (emphysema)

Thin parts of Loop of Henle (c.s)

Outer walls of intestines (c.s)

Thyroid follicle (c.s)

Top view

Ovarian mesothelium
SIMPLE CUBOIDAL
• Single layer of cube-shaped cells. Some
cells have microvilli or cilia.
• Secretion and absorption by kidney
tubules, secretion of glands
• Kidney tubules, glands and ducts,
terminal bronchioles, surface of ovaries,
thyroid follicle

SIMPLE COLUMNAR
• Single layer of tall, narrow cells. Some
have cilia or microvilli
• Secretion by stomach, absorption of
intestines, movement of oocytes to
uterine tubes
• Glands and some ducts, bronchioles of
lungs, uterus, uterine tubes, auditory
tubes, intestines, stomach, gallbladder
and bile ducts, ventricles of the brain,
collecting duct
 PSEUDOSTRATIFIED COLUMNAR
• Single layer of cell. Some cells are tall
and reach the free surface, others do not.
Nucleus levels differently and appear
stratified. Are always ciliated and contains
goblet cells
• Synthesize and secrete mucus onto the
free surface. Moves mucus that contains
foreign particles.
• Linings of respiratory tract (nasal sinuses,
pharynx, trachea, bronchi), Inner lining of
epididymis

Renal collecting duct

Uterine tube

Gallbladder

Trachea
 • Non-keratinized – mouth, throat,
esophagus, cornea, anus, vagina

Epididymis

a) Mucin stained with Alcian Blue – Periodic

Acid Schiff (visualizes goblet cells)
b) Electron micrograph for columnar cell and
goblet cell

Difference of healthy cells vs. cells of chronic

bronchitis and COPD. Notice the increased
number of goblet cells, which results in excessive
mucus production and contributes to obstruction of
the airways. This is observed in chronic smokers
which transforms the columnar cell to squamous
epithelia.

STRATIFIED SQUAMOUS
• Several layers of cells that are slightly
cuboidal in base and progressively
flattened toward the surface. The
epithelium can be nonkeratinized (moist,
retains nucleus and cytoplasm) or
keratinized (dead cells, cytoplasm Skin
replaced by a protein, keratin)
• Protects against abrasions, forms a
barrier against infection, reduces loss of
water from the body
• Keratinized – outer layer of the skin
TRANSITIONAL EPITHELIUM
• Stratified epithelium that appear cuboidal
when organ or tube is not stretched and
squamous when the organ or tube is
stretched by fluid. Surface cells are often
dome-shaped at its free surface
• Accommodates fluctuations in the volume
of fluid in an organ or tube
• Lining of urinary bladder, ureters and
superior urethra
Urothelium
STRATIFIED CUBOIDAL
• Rare type of epithelia composed of
multiple layers of cube-shaped cells
• For protection, excretion and secretion
• Sweat glands, ovarian follicle, salivary
glands, mammary glands
Sweat gland
Late primary ovarian follicle
Salivary gland (mucus acinus cells – pink
cytoplasm, myoepithelial cell – purple cytoplasm)
STRATIFIED COLUMNAR
• Another rare type of epithelia composed
of multiple layers of tall cells
• Salivary ducts, inner eyelids (conjunctiva)
and male urethra
Free surfaces
Salivary duct
Cell connections
STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL
RELATIONSHIPS
Cell layers and cell shape reflect the function
• Number of layers
o Simple epithelium – transports
materials
▪ Lungs – moves gases
▪ Intestines – nutrient
absorption
▪ Kidneys – filtration of
fluid
o Stratified epithelium – protective
function
▪ Outer layers –
damaged or keratinized
▪ Deeper layers –
metabolically active
cells
• Cell shape
o Flat cells – diffusion
o Columnar or cuboidal –
absorption and secretion
• Cell shape and layers changes if
subjected to long-term irritation or other
abnormal conditions.
• Most epithelia have free surfaces that is
not in contact with other cells and faces
away from underlying tissues.
o Smooth surface reduces friction
as material moves across it
(endothelium)
o Presence of extensions
▪ Microvilli – increases
free surface area
▪ Cilia – propels
materials along the free
surface
• Cells have structures that connect one
cell to another or to the basement
membrane
• Mechanically bind cells together
• Forms a permeable barrier
• Provide mechanism for intercellular
communication
• Desmosome – rivet-like structures that
connect the sides of adjacent cells.
Connects two cells with fine protein
filaments. Thicker filaments extends from
inside to the opposite side of the cell
o Hemidesmosome – connects
cells to the basement membrane
• Tight junction – zipper-like impermeable
junctions. Prevents substances from
passing through the extracellular space
(intestines – prevents passing of digestive
enzymes into the bloodstream)
• Gap junction – neighboring cells are
connected by a channel made up of
hollow cylinders (connexon). Molecules
that moves through the gap junctions acts
 as a communication signal to coordinate
activities of the cell
• Exocrine gland – substances are
secreted through the ducts
• Unicellular glands (goblet cell)
• Multicellular exocrine glands are
classified into simple gland
(branched or nonbranched duct
– sweat gland, intestinal gland)
and compound gland (multiple
branched duct – salivary gland,
seminiferous tubules, mammary
gland, pancreas)

SECRETORY AND GLANDULAR EPITHELIUM

• Glands - Mainly to produce and secrete
various macromolecules may occur in
epithelia
• Secretory cells may synthesize, store,
and release proteins (pancreas –
proteases, peptide hormones), lipids
(adrenal and gonads - steroid hormones;
sebaceous glands – sebum),
glycoproteins (salivary glands – ptyalin)
• Classified into exocrine and endocrine
glands

EXOCRINE GLAND
• Classified into how products are secreted
out of the cell:
• Merocrine – typically
exocytose secretory granules
• Endocrine gland – substances are or membrane-bound vesicles.
secreted directly to the bloodstream Sweat glands (eccrine sweat
(hormones) glands) is an example of this.
• Holocrine – as the product
accumulates, the whole cell
sheds off the and releases the
contents and cell debris into the
gland’s lumen. This is best seen
in the sebaceous glands
producing lipid-rich material in
skin.
• Apocrine – secretory products
accumulate at the top ends
which are then released through
extruding portions of the cell
membrane and cytoplasm.
Lipid droplets are secreted in the
mammary gland through this
manner